Physical unclonable function generator structure and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12588513-B2
Application number	US-202217978968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2022
Priority date	Oct 3, 2022
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A physical unclonable function (PUF) generator structure including a substrate and a PUF generator is provided. The PUF generator includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a first dielectric layer, a first contact, a second contact, and a third contact. The first electrode layer is disposed on the substrate. The second electrode layer is disposed on the first electrode layer. The first dielectric layer is disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The first contact and the second contact are electrically connected to the first electrode layer and are separated from each other. The third contact is electrically connected to the second electrode layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A physical unclonable function (PUF) generator structure, comprising:
a substrate; and a PUF generator comprising:
a first electrode layer disposed on the substrate;
a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer;
a first dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer;
a first contact and a second contact electrically connected to the first electrode layer and separated from each other, wherein in a cross-sectional view, the first contact and the second contact are symmetrically disposed on the first electrode layer; and
a third contact electrically connected to the second electrode layer.

2 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact and the second contact are located on a same side of the first dielectric layer, the first contact and the third contact are located on different sides of the first dielectric layer, and the second contact and the third contact are located on different sides of the first dielectric layer.

3 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact, the second contact, and the third contact are located on a same side of the first dielectric layer.

4 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first dielectric layer has a plurality of thicknesses.

5 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first dielectric layer comprises:
a center portion; and an edge portion located on two sides of the center portion, wherein a thickness of the edge portion is less than a thickness of the center portion.

6 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 5 , wherein a top-view pattern of the edge portion surrounds a top-view pattern of the center portion.

7 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 5 , wherein a top-view pattern of the edge portion overlaps a top-view pattern of the first contact and a top-view pattern of the second contact.

8 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 5 , wherein the first contact passes through the edge portion to be electrically connected to the first electrode layer, and the second contact passes through the edge portion to be electrically connected to the first electrode layer.

9 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact and the second contact are directly connected to the first electrode layer, and the third contact is directly connected to the second electrode layer.

10 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the substrate; and a third dielectric layer disposed on the first electrode layer, the second electrode layer, the first dielectric layer, and the second dielectric layer.

11 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 10 , wherein the first contact and the second contact are disposed in the second dielectric layer, and the third contact is disposed in the third dielectric layer.

12 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 10 , wherein the first contact, the second contact, and the third contact are disposed in the third dielectric layer.

13 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , comprising a PUF generator array, wherein the PUF generator array comprises:
a plurality of the PUF generators arranged in an array; a first bit line electrically connected to a plurality of the first contacts; a second bit line electrically connected to a plurality of the second contacts; a word line electrically connected to a plurality of the third contacts; a first transistor electrically connected between the first contact and the first bit line; and a second transistor electrically connected between the second contact and the second bit line.

14 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 13 , wherein the plurality of the PUF generators are arranged in a first direction and a second direction, and the first direction intersects the second direction.

15 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 13 , wherein the PUF generator array comprises a plurality of the first transistors, and two adjacent first transistors located between two adjacent PUF generators share the same first bit line.

16 . The PUF generator structure according to claim 13 , wherein the PUF generator array comprises a plurality of the second transistors, and two adjacent second transistors located between two adjacent PUF generators share the same second bit line.

17 . An operation method of the PUF generator structure according to claim 1 , comprising:
performing an enrollment operation on the PUF generator, wherein the enrollment operation comprises: applying a first voltage to the first contact; applying a second voltage to the second contact; and applying a third voltage to the third contact, wherein the first voltage is equal to the second voltage, and the third voltage is greater than the first voltage and the second voltage.

18 . The operation method of the PUF generator structure according to claim 17 , further comprising:
performing an extraction operation on the PUF generator to read a data enrolled in the PUF generator, wherein the extraction operation comprises: applying a fourth voltage to the first contact; applying a fifth voltage to the second contact; and applying a sixth voltage to the third contact, wherein the fourth voltage is equal to the fifth voltage, and The sixth voltage is greater than the fourth voltage and the fifth voltage.

19 . The operation method of the PUF generator structure according to claim 18 , wherein the sixth voltage is less than the third voltage.

Assignees

• Powerchip Semiconductor Mfg Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Bo-An
• Che Shyng-Yeuan
• Lee Shih-Ping

Classifications

• G06F21/79 Primary

  in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories · CPC title

• H10W42/405 Primary

  using active circuits · CPC title

• H10W42/40

  protecting against tampering, e.g. unauthorised inspection or reverse engineering · CPC title

• H04L9/0866

  involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics · CPC title

• G06F21/73 Primary

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