Attopsemi is a provider of OTP IP (One-Time Programmable intellectual property) located in Hsinchu, Taiwan and the companies have integrated Crypto Quantique’s QDID physical unclonable function (PUF) with Attopsemi’s I-fuse OTP technology so that PUF error correction data can be stored securely in the OTP.
The error correction data, called ‘helper data’, is not visible to the user and no data manipulation or corruption is possible, making this approach highly secure. The integrated technology also means that helper data does not take up non-volatile memory space that may be needed for other system functions.
The NIST-compliant QDID embedded hardware PUF exploits the quantum tunnelling effect to generate unique, immutable, and unclonable random numbers to produce digital fingerprints within semiconductors, most commonly MCUs and SoCs. The technology is based on measuring tiny electron flows caused by quantum tunnelling across the naturally varying gate oxide thickness in the CMOS chip manufacturing processes. For the PUF fingerprint to be consistent, some error correction is needed, and helper data performs that role.
Attopsemi’s I-fuse OTP a reliable OTP with a patented fuse structure and is programmed by heat-assisted electromigration below a breakpoint. It supports a wide voltage range for rapid, in-field programming and requires a very small silicon area of around 0.027 mm2 for 8K bits.
The combination of QDID and I-fuse technologies enables a compact and secure hardware root-of-trust to be created within any CMOS semiconductor manufactured at process nodes between 12 nm and 55 nm.
Shahram Mossayebi, Crypto Quantique’s CEO, commented, "This collaboration is an important step in making our QDID PUF more accessible and easier to implement for our customers and their end users. It saves design time and cost while boosting security by eliminating the risk of side-channel attacks on stored security credentials."
“This application is a perfect example of how OTP technology can contribute to IoT device security, one of the biggest challenges facing embedded developers today. It makes PUF implementation simpler and more cost-effective,” said Meisie Jong, Attopsemi’s CEO.
