Integrated Nanoantenna Labels for Rapid Security Testing of Semiconductor Circuits

Adato, Ronen; Uyar, Aydan; Zangeneh, Mahmoud; Zhou, Bo; Joshi, Ajay; Goldberg, Bennett B.; Ünlü, M. Selim

doi:10.1364/fio.2015.fth1b.2

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Several recent studies have proposed techniques based on utilizing the near-Infrared light to image the logic gates from the backside of an IC [15], [16], [17]. Zhou et al proposed a fast, accurate optical imaging technique that leverages the opaqueness of the metal fill cells to identify any modification of the IC chip layout [16].…”

Section: B Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adato et al proposed a dictionary-based optical imaging technique [17], where they showed that by inserting a nanoantenna randomly in the gate design and using multi-spectral low-resolution measurements, the classification accuracies of a logic gate can be improved. However, this dictionary-based technique is only applied on a limited number (specifically 6) of gates.…”

Section: B Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we extend the dictionary-based verification method [17] and achieve a 30× improvement on the gate farfield reflection response. This strong enhancement is due to the engineered placement of the nanoantenna into the empty spaces between two gates, instead of adding nanoantenna randomly inside original gate design [17].…”

Section: B Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gate-Level Validation of Integrated Circuits With Structured-Illumination Read-Out of Embedded Optical Signatures

et al. 2020

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The integrated circuit (IC) chips are essential components in a variety of computing systems ranging from consumer electronics to high-security military devices. Hence, the authenticity of ICs is crucial. The pervasive nature of ICs and the need for their low-cost production has led to the globalization of IC design and manufacturing process, which has raised various security concerns including; (i) malicious tampering of ICs during fabrication to include Hardware Trojans (HT); and (ii) IC counterfeiting. To detect HTs and IC counterfeiting, we require an examination method to ensure the manufactured IC is consistent with the intended design. Here, we present a robust, rapid, and nondestructive IC authentication technique, which relies on imaging the optical watermarks embedded in predetermined locations in the IC. The watermark is a combination of unique signatures in the optical farfield reflection pattern created by modifying the physical layout of logic gates. These high-contrast optical signatures are enabled by embedding an innovative combination of plasmonic nanoantennas and grating structures directly in the metal-1 layer of the gate design. The uniqueness of logic gates' optical signatures is ensured through different plasmonic nanoantenna dimensions and periodicity of the surrounding gratings. For the rapid read-out of the watermarks, we present a confocal dark-field imaging technique utilizing modulated structured-illumination and lock-in signal acquisition. By combining these innovations in plasmonic nanoantennas and optical imaging, we demonstrate through numerical simulations a 30-fold contrast in polarization dependent reflectivity for each embedded optical signature allowing rapid read-out of watermarks and direct authentication of the IC design. INDEX TERMS Backside imaging, hardware trojan detection, IC counterfeit detection, integrated circuits, interference, lock-in measurement, plasmonic nanoantenna, structured-illumination.

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Section: B Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: B Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%