Tritium Decay TRNG Chip for Safe Compact Random Bit Generation

The patent changes the radioactive isotope from highly radioactive materials to tritium, which has lower radioactivity and emits beta particles with maximum energy of 18.6 keV. This parameter change allows the use of a much smaller detector volume (less than 0.03 μL of tritium) while maintaining reliable random number generation, as the beta particles from tritium decay can be effectively detected by small-scale semiconductor detectors integrated on the same chip.

The patent converts the harmful high radioactivity into a beneficial feature by using tritium, which has low radioactivity and short-range beta particles. The beta particles from tritium decay, which would otherwise be considered low-energy and less productive, are perfectly suited for detection by small semiconductor detectors, achieving both safe operation and effective random number generation. The harmful factor of high radiation is transformed into the benefit of safe, integrated operation.

The patent merges the detector with the semiconductor chip by fabricating the detector directly on the chip substrate. This integration combines the particle detection function with the electronic processing circuitry, eliminating the need for separate large detector assemblies. The detector and processing electronics become a single integrated device, reducing overall complexity while maintaining measurement precision through careful design of the integrated detector structure.