Methods and apparatus to create a physically unclonable function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12050495-B2
Application number	US-202017130076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2020
Priority date	Aug 3, 2015
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for creating a physically unclonable function for SRAM are disclosed. An example method includes decreasing a supply voltage of a memory array to a first voltage level, the first voltage level being below a normal operating voltage associated with the memory array, reading a first value of a bit cell after the supply voltage has been at the first voltage level, and determining a function based on the first value of the bit cell and a second value, the second value stored in the bit cell when the memory array is operating at a voltage level above the first voltage level, the function to represent an identification of a circuit including the memory array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a memory;
a memory controller coupled to the memory;
a processor coupled to the memory controller;
a non-transitory computer readable medium coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
cause the memory controller to perform a first read/write sequence to the memory according to a first set of parameters, wherein the first read/write sequence includes:
writing a first value to the memory;
in response to writing the first value, reducing a supply voltage to the memory, including reducing the supply voltage from a nominal voltage; and
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, increasing the supply voltage to the nominal voltage;
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, and after the increasing of the supply voltage to the nominal voltage, reading the first value to produce a first output value; and

cause the memory controller to perform a second read/write sequence to the memory according to a second set of parameters, wherein the second read/write sequence includes:
writing a second value to the memory, the second value based on the first output value;
in response to writing the second value, reducing the supply voltage to the memory; and
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, reading the second value to produce a second output value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first set of parameters is different from the second set of parameters in at least one of: a subset of the memory read to produce the first output value relative to a subset of the memory read to produce the second output value; the first value relative to the second value; a voltage to which the supply voltage is reduced during the first read/write sequence relative to a voltage to which the supply voltage is reduced during the second read/write sequence; a duration for which the supply voltage is reduced during the first read/write sequence relative to a duration for which the supply voltage is reduced during the second read/write sequence; or a sense amplifier enable time associated with the reading of the first value relative to a sense amplifier enable time associated with the reading of the second value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second read/write sequence further includes increasing the supply voltage to the memory above the nominal voltage based on the first output value prior to the reading of the second value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to create a security function based on the first output value and the second output value.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
provide the security function;
receive a response to the security function; and
determine whether to enable or disable the apparatus based on the response to the security function.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller includes a key generator configured to generate a cryptographic key based on the first output value and the second output value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the reading of the second value to produce the second output value is performed a duration of time after the reducing of the supply voltage to the memory of the second read/write sequence; and
the duration of time is based on the first output value.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to determine whether to perform a third read/write sequence based on at least one of the first output value or the second output value.

9. A method, comprising:
performing a first read/write sequence that includes:
writing a first value to a memory;
reducing a supply voltage to the memory for a first duration, including reducing the supply voltage from a nominal voltage;
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, increasing the supply voltage to the nominal voltage; and
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory and after the increasing of the supply voltage to the nominal voltage, reading the first value to produce a first output value; and

performing a second read/write sequence that includes:
writing a second value to the memory;
reducing the supply voltage to the memory for a second duration different from the first duration and based on the first output value; and
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, reading the second value to produce a second output value.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first output value comprises a read failure pattern, and wherein the second duration is determined by the read failure pattern.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first read/write sequence is different from the second read/write sequence, based on the first output value, in at least one of: a subset of the memory read to produce the first output value relative to a subset of the memory read to produce the second output value; the first value relative to the second value; a voltage to which the supply voltage is reduced during the first read/write sequence relative to a voltage to which the supply voltage is reduced during the second read/write sequence; a duration for which the supply voltage is reduced during the first read/write sequence relative to a duration for which the supply voltage is reduced during the second read/write sequence; or a sense amplifier enable time associated with reading of the first value relative to a sense amplifier enable time associated with the reading of the second value.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second read/write sequence further includes increasing the supply voltage to the memory above the nominal voltage based on the first output value prior to the reading of the second value.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising creating a security function based on the first output value and the second output value.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing the security function;
receiving a response to the security function; and
determining whether to enable or disable an apparatus that includes the memory based on the response to the security function.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating a cryptographic key based on the first output value and the second output value.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the reading of the second value to produce the second output value is performed a duration of time after the reducing of the supply voltage to the memory of the second read/write sequence; and
the duration of time is based on the first output value.

17. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether to perform a third read/write sequence based on at least one of the first output value or the second output value.

18. A method comprising:
performing a first read/write sequence, wherein the first read/write sequence is associated with at least one of a first amplifier enable delay, a first wordline voltage, or a first bitline voltage, wherein the first read/write sequence includes:
writing a first value to a memory;
reducing a supply voltage to the memory, including reducing the supply voltage from a nominal voltage;
in response to reducing the supply voltage to the memory, increasing the supply voltage to the nominal voltage

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Bittlestone Clive
• Kwong Joyce
• Goel Manish

Classifications

• H04L9/3278

  using physically unclonable functions [PUF] · CPC title

• G06F21/73 Primary

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

• G11C11/419

  Read-write [R-W] circuits · CPC title

• G11C2029/5002

  Characteristic · CPC title

• G11C2029/4402

  Internal storage of test result, quality data, chip identification, repair information · CPC title