Semiconductor device identifier generation method and semiconductor device
US9129671B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 4, 2007 |
| Grant date | Sep 8, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11C2029/5002
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method (100) is disclosed of generating an identifier from a semiconductor device (600) comprising a volatile memory (610) having a plurality of memory cells. The method comprises causing (110) the memory cells to assume a plurality of pseudo-random bit values inherent to variations in the microstructure of the memory cells; retrieving (120) the bit values from at least a subset of the plurality of memory cells; and generating the identifier from the retrieved bit values. The method (100) is based on the realization that a substantial amount of the cells of a volatile memory can assume a bit value that is governed by underlying variations in manufacturing process parameters; this for instance occurs at power-up for an SRAM or after a time period without refresh for a DRAM. This can be used for several identification purposes, such as identifying a semiconductor device (600) comprising the volatile memory (610), or for secure key generation by mapping error-correcting code words onto the identifier bit locations. The present invention further includes a semiconductor device (600, 1000) configured to be subjectable to the method (100) of the present invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.