The use of microelectronics radiation behavior asphysical uncloned function to find counterfeit

• Main Authors: Anatoly P. Durakovskiy, Leonid N. Kessarinskiy, Alexey O. Shirin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Engineering Physics Institute 2020-09-01
• Series: Bezopasnostʹ Informacionnyh Tehnologij
• Subjects: electronics, counterfeit, radiation, chips, physical uncloned function.
• Online Access: https://bit.mephi.ru/index.php/bit/article/view/1289

The study is devoted to the problem of counterfeiting electronic devices. The constantly increasing requirements for the characteristics and functionality of electronic components for critical equipment (spacecraft, dual-purpose and special-purpose equipment, transport, etc.) lead to the use of foreign-made commercial products. Thus, there is a risk of using counterfeit electronic components, which determines the need to provide tests to the authenticity confirmation. But even the use of the entire arsenal of research methods does not guarantee 100% authenticity of the product. In addition, the global trend is that the number of counterfeit microcircuits (and not only ICs) is increasing, but the effectiveness of detection methods is falling. One of the methods used to combat counterfeiting is the marking of genuine components. And the safest method for marking is based on physical unclonablefunctions (PUF) i.e. such properties of the product that cannot be reproduced due to the natural spread of the characteristics of parasitic structures, and the uncertainty of the results of random processes of production technology. The distribution of the amplitudes of ionization responses and the radiation degradation of parameters with the accumulation of the absorbed dose is one of such PUFs because possesses the necessary properties: the impossibility of reproduction on the one hand, and uniformity of results within one batch of microcircuits or transistors on the other hand. Therefore, it is proposed to use various signatures of deterioration of radiation behavior as PUF. Several examples of this use are presented in the paper.