Structure for stochastic integrated circuit personalization

US7838873B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Lawrence A. Clevenger · Saratoga Springs, US
• Matthew E. Colburn · Hopewell Junction, US
• Timothy J. Dalton · Ridgefield, US
• Michael C. Gaidis · Yorktown Heights, US
• Louis L. Hsu · Fishkill, US
• Carl Radens · Lagrangeville, US
• Keith Kwong Hon Wong · Wappingers Falls, US
• Chih-Chao Yang · Glenmont, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 18, 2008
• Grant date: Nov 23, 2010
• Expiry date: May 14, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D1/68
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method of forming a stochastically based integrated circuit encryption structure includes forming a lower conductive layer over a substrate, forming a short prevention layer over the lower conductive layer, forming an intermediate layer over the short prevention layer, wherein the intermediate layer is characterized by randomly structured nanopore features. An upper conductive layer is formed over the random nanopore structured intermediate layer. The upper conductive layer is patterned into an array of individual cells, wherein a measurable electrical parameter of the individual cells has a random distribution from cell to cell with respect to a reference value of the electrical parameter.