Device for detecting an attack in an integrated circuit chip
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
InventorsMathieu Lisart, Alexandre Sarafianos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit chip including a plurality of parallel wells of alternated conductivity types formed in the upper portion of a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, and a device of protection against attacks including: between the wells, trenches with insulated walls filled with a conductive material, said trenches extending from the upper surface of the wells to the substrate; and a circuit capable of detecting a modification of the stray capacitance formed between said conductive material and a region of the chip.
Claims19
An integrated circuit chip, comprising:
- first and second wells, of first and second conductivity types, respectively, formed in an upper portion of a semiconductor substrate of the first conductivity type;
- and
- a protection device configured to protect the integrated circuit chip against attacks and including:
- between the wells, a trench with insulated walls and filled with a conductive material, the trench extending from upper surfaces of the wells to a lower portion of the substrate below the wells;
- and
- a stray capacitance modification detector configured to detect a modification of a stray capacitance between said conductive material and a region of the chip.
A method of forming an integrated circuit chip, comprising:
- forming first and second wells, of first and second conductivity types, respectively, in an upper portion of a semiconductor substrate of the first conductivity type;
- and
- forming a protection device configured to protect the integrated circuit chip against attacks and including:
- forming, between the wells, a trench with insulated walls and filled with a conductive material, the trench extending from upper surfaces of the wells to a lower portion of the substrate below the wells;
- and
- forming a stray capacitance modification detector configured to detect a modification of a stray capacitance between said conductive material and a region of the chip.
A method of protecting an integrated circuit chip, comprising:
- detecting a modification of a stray capacitance between a conductive material and a region of the chip, the chip including first and second wells, of first and second conductivity types, respectively, in an upper portion of a semiconductor substrate of the first conductivity type;
- a trench with insulated walls and filled with a conductive material, the trench extending between the wells from upper surfaces of the wells to a lower portion of the substrate below the wells;
- and
- disabling the chip in response to detecting the modification of the stray capacitance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.