IC Design Protection via Switch Device Multiplexers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Outsourcing integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing increases the difficulty of protecting intellectual property (IP) and poses safety risks due to potential defects and reverse-engineering of ICs, especially in critical and military equipment, as existing methods like decapsulation can easily compromise IC security.
Innovation Solution
An integrated circuit design protecting device comprising a switch device with multiplexers and a non-volatile memory, where selection codes are stored in the memory to control the multiplexers, ensuring only authorized connections are established between circuit blocks, thereby preventing unauthorized access and reverse-engineering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If IC manufacturing is outsourced to third party manufacturers, then production efficiency and cost are improved, but IP protection and security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring dummy input connections and switch devices within the IC design before manufacturing. These protective structures are built into the circuit architecture in advance, so that when the IC is outsourced for manufacturing, the IP protection mechanisms are already in place and cannot be easily removed or bypassed by third-party manufacturers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses switch devices and dummy input connections as intermediary elements between the functional circuitry and the external environment. These intermediaries control and mask the true connections within the IC, making it difficult for outsiders to reverse-engineer the design while allowing the IC to function normally when properly authenticated
2Loss of information
If decapsulation is used to reverse-engineer ICs, then design information can be obtained, but IP security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by incorporating switch devices and dummy connections that actively prevent reverse-engineering attempts. When someone tries to decapsulate and analyze the IC, they encounter these protective structures that mask the true circuit connections, making the reverse-engineering process futile even with physical access to the IC internals
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively placing dummy input connections and switch devices at specific critical locations within the IC architecture. Rather than uniformly protecting all connections, the protection is concentrated at key points where reverse-engineering would be most effective, optimizing the security-to-area ratio
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If dummy input connections are added to mask true connections, then reverse-engineering difficulty is increased, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing switch devices that serve multiple functions: they act as connection routers for normal IC operation, provide IP protection by masking true connections, and enable authentication mechanisms. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective structures, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit design protecting device includes a switch device and a non-volatile memory. The switch device includes M input ports, N output ports, N multiplexers, and S selection nodes. Each multiplexer of the N multiplexers includes I input nodes, an output node, and at least one selection node. The I input nodes are coupled to I input ports of the M input ports. The output node is coupled to an output port of the N output ports. The non-volatile memory is coupled to the S selection nodes of the switch device for providing selection codes to the switch device.