System and method for physically detecting counterfeit electronics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10475754-B2
Application number	US-201213410797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2012
Priority date	Mar 2, 2011
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A system for inspecting or screening electrically powered device includes a signal generator inputting a preselected signal into the electrically powered device. There is also an antenna array positioned at a pre-determined distance above the electrically powered device. Apparatus collects RF energy emitted by the electrically powered device in response to input of said preselected signal. The signature of the collected RF energy is compared with an RF energy signature of a genuine part. The comparison determines one of a genuine or a counterfeit condition of the electrically powered device.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for inspecting or screening a discrete semiconductor or an integrated circuit for counterfeits, said system comprising:
(a) a high precision signal source configured to generate a high precision oscillator signal for driving at least one of a signal input and a clock input of the discrete semiconductor or the integrated circuit, said high precision signal source is being selected from a group consisting of a temperature compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), a microcomputer compensated Crystal Oscillator (MXCO), an Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO), a small atomic frequency standard oscillator and a Rubidium oscillator (RbXO);
(b) a receiver coupled to an antenna and configured to collect electromagnetic energy in a radio frequency (RF) spectrum emitted by the discrete semiconductor or the integrated circuit in a response to said at least one of said signal input and said clock input being driven by said high precision signal source; and
(c) a processor executing at least one algorithm to determine, based on a comparison of emission signature characteristics of said collected electromagnetic energy in the RF spectrum against baseline RF emission signature characteristics, one of a genuine or a counterfeit condition of the discrete semiconductor or the at least one of the integrated circuit.

2. An apparatus for detecting at least one of a counterfeited integrated circuit and a counterfeited device employing the integrated circuit, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a high precision signal source configured to generate a high precision oscillator signal for driving at least one of a signal input and a clock input of a powered at least one of the integrated circuit and the device employing the integrated circuit, said high precision oscillator signal having a frequency thereof being consistent with input requirements of the at least one of the integrated circuit and the device employing the integrated circuit;
(b) an RF collection means, comprising a receiver and an antenna, positioned in a proximity to the at least one of the integrated circuit and the device employing the integrated circuit, said RF collection means configured to receive emissions radiated by the at least one of the integrated circuit and the device employing the integrated circuit driven with said high precision oscillator signal; and
(c) a processor coupled to said RF collection means, said processor configured to process a signature of said radiated emission and compare said radiated emission signature against at least one emission signature predetermined for the at least one of the integrated circuit and the device employing the integrated circuit, whereby a resulting match of said comparison defines at least one of a genuine integrated circuit and a genuine device employing the integrated circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said apparatus includes an antenna array and wherein said RF collection means is coupled to said antenna array.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said RF collection means has a sensitivity of better than −152 dBm.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said high precision signal source is being selected from a group consisting of a temperature compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), a microcomputer compensated Crystal Oscillator (MXCO), an Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO), a small atomic frequency standard oscillator and a Rubidium oscillator (RbXO).

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said high precision signal source is a small atomic standard oscillator generating a high precision oscillator signal with precision exceeding 10 −8 .

7. A method for differentiating between a counterfeit and a genuine semiconductor based device, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) generating, with a high precision signal source, a high precision oscillator signal, said high precision signal source is being selected from a group consisting of a temperature compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), a microcomputer compensated Crystal Oscillator (MXCO), an Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO), a small atomic frequency standard oscillator and a Rubidium oscillator (RbXO);
(b) injecting said high precision oscillator signal into a semiconductor based device through at least one of a clock input and a signal input;
(c) collecting, with an RF collection means, comprising a receiver and an antenna, emissions given off by said semiconductor based device in a response to said high precision oscillator signal injected in step (b);
(d) comparing characteristics of said RF emissions, collected in step (c), against baseline RF characteristics of a genuine semiconductor based device; and
(e) determining, based on said comparison, said semiconductor based device as said one of said counterfeit and said genuine semiconductor based device.

8. The method of claim 7 , further including the step of repeating steps (a) through (c) with different frequency settings on said high precision oscillator signal injected into said semiconductor based device and the step of comparing RF data collections of at least two measured responses to improve counterfeit inspection.

9. The method of claim 7 , further including the step of repeating steps (a) through (c) with different frequency amplitude settings on said high precision oscillator signal injected into said semiconductor based device and the step of comparing RF data collections of at least two measured responses to improve counterfeit inspection.

10. The method of claim 7 , further including the step of repeating steps (a) through (c) with different relative phases between two or more high precision oscillator signals injected into said semiconductor based device and the step of comparing RF data collections of at least two measured responses to improve counterfeit inspection.

11. The method of claim 7 , further including the step of repeating steps (a) through (c) with different frequency settings on the high precision oscillator signal injected into at least two inputs on the semiconductor based device and comparing RF collection data for each high precision oscillator signal injected individually to expected signature and injection into all inputs simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step of determining said genuine semiconductor based device includes the step of analyzing at least one of frequency locations of emissions components, phases of emissions, cross-modulation and inter-modulation components generated by the internal circuitry, shape of any individual emission, quality factors of any individual emissions or timing characteristics of emissions.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step (d) includes the step of using at least one automated algorithm.

14. The method of claim 7 , further including the step of establishing said baseline RF characteristics representative of said genuine semiconductor based device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of establishing said baseline RF characteristics includes the step of large scale comparison of spectral emissions and the step of reducing said large scale comparison to a single scalar value.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said step of establishing said baseline RF characteristics includes the step of obtaining local spectral power density statistics.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said step of obtaining local spectral power density statistics includes the step of sampling a plurality of semiconductor based devices and discriminating said plurality of semiconductor based devices based on localized statistical feature measured on e

Assignees

• Keller Iii Walter J
• Freeman Stephen Dorn
• Galyardt Jason
• Nokomis Inc

Inventors

• Keller Iii Walter J
• Freeman Stephen Dorn
• Galyardt Jason

Classifications

• G01R31/2837

  Characterising or performance testing, e.g. of frequency response (transient response G01R27/28) · CPC title

• G01R31/2839

  using signal generators, power supplies or circuit analysers (G01R31/2879 takes precedence; multimeters G01R15/12, network analysers G01R27/28) · CPC title

• G06F21/73

  by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers · CPC title

• H10W44/248

  for antennas · CPC title

• H10W42/405 Primary

  using active circuits · CPC title