Patent · US Active

Implementing physically unclonable function (PUF) utilizing EDRAM memory cell capacitance variation

US8300450B2 · kind B2 · utility

35Cited by
1References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateNov 3, 2010
Grant dateOct 30, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 26, 2031

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2209/12
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and embedded dynamic random access memory (EDRAM) circuit for implementing a physically unclonable function (PUF), and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides are provided. An embedded dynamic random access memory (EDRAM) circuit includes a first EDRAM memory cell including a memory cell true storage capacitor and a second EDRAM memory cell including a memory cell complement storage capacitor. The memory cell true storage capacitor and the memory cell complement storage capacitor include, for example, trench capacitors or metal insulator metal capacitors (MIM caps). A random variation of memory cell capacitance is used to implement the physically unclonable function. Each memory cell is connected to differential inputs to a sense amplifier. The first and second EDRAM memory cells are written to zero and then the first and second EDRAM memory cells are differentially sensed and the difference is amplified to consistently read the same random data.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.