Phase Changeable Conducting Particles in PUF Capacitors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capacitance-based physical unclonable functions have limited bandwidth in randomness, making them vulnerable to hacking and insecure for authentication and encryption purposes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating phase changeable materials in the dielectric medium of capacitors that change conductivity between crystalline and amorphous states, enhancing randomness and bandwidth through unpredictable cooling rates and structural changes, and integrating these capacitors into tokens for secure authentication and encryption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a capacitor with conducting particles dispersed in dielectric medium is used as physical unclonable function, then the device can be easily embedded in a chip, but the bandwidth within which the randomness of the capacitance varies is relatively limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing phase changeable materials that can switch between crystalline and amorphous states, fundamentally altering the conductivity parameter of conducting particles. This enables the physical unclonable function to generate a wider range of capacitance values by controlling the structural state of particles, thereby expanding the randomness bandwidth while maintaining chip embeddability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining phase changeable materials (such as chalcogenide glasses) with conducting particles and dielectric media. This composite structure allows the system to exhibit multiple states (crystalline/amorphous) with different conductivity properties, enabling enhanced randomness bandwidth while maintaining the compact capacitor structure suitable for chip integration
2Device complexity
If the dielectric medium contains conducting particles with fixed structural state, then the capacitor structure is simple, but the randomness and predictability of capacitance values are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the conducting particles' structural state changeable rather than fixed. The phase changeable materials can dynamically switch between crystalline and amorphous states in response to thermal or electrical stimuli, creating a dynamic physical unclonable function that generates unpredictable capacitance values while maintaining a relatively simple capacitor structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies phase transitions by utilizing materials that can reversibly change between crystalline and amorphous phases. These phase transitions result in significant changes in conductivity, enabling the capacitor to produce a wide range of random capacitance values. The phase changeable materials are integrated into the conducting particles within the dielectric medium, maintaining structural simplicity while dramatically enhancing randomness and security
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly increases the randomness and bandwidth of capacitance values, enhancing the security of physical unclonable functions by making it difficult to predict the structural state changes of conducting particles, thus providing a more secure token for identification and encryption.
Implementation Method 1
the conducting particles comprising a phase changeable material being changeable between a first structural state having a first conductivity and a second structural state having a second conductivity different from the first conductivity
Implementation Method 2
the physical unclonable function comprising a capacitor comprising a dielectric medium being arranged at least partially between the electrodes of the capacitor and being configured for contributing to a capacitance value of the capacitor
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a token (100), to an integrated circuit (200) comprising the token, to a method of randomizing the token and a system (500, 502) for randomizing the token. The token comprises a physical unclonable function (10, 12, 14, 16, 18) and comprising probing means (110) for probing the physical unclonable function. The physical unclonable function comprises a capacitor (20, 22) comprising a dielectric medium (30, 32) being arranged at least partially between the electrodes (20A, 20C; 22A, 22C) of the capacitor. The dielectric medium is configured for contributing to a capacitance value of the capacitor and comprises conducting particles (40, 42; 40A, 40B, 40C) substantially randomly dispersed in the dielectric medium. The conducting particles comprise a phase changeable material being changeable between a first structural state (40A, 40C) having a first conductivity and a second structural state (40B) having a second conductivity different from the first conductivity.