Tamper-respondent assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017094784-A1
Application number	US-201514865632-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 25, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Mar 30, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Tamper-respondent assemblies and methods of fabrication are provided which include a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure. The tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure includes a tamper-respondent sensor. The tamper-respondent sensor includes, for instance, at least one flexible layer having opposite first and second sides, and circuit lines forming at least one resistive network. The circuit lines are disposed on at least one of the first or second side of the at least one flexible layer, and have a line width W l ≦200 μm, as well as a line-to-line spacing width W s ≦200 μm. In certain enhanced embodiments, the tamper-respondent sensor includes multiple flexible layers, with a first flexible layer having first circuit lines, and a second flexible layer having second circuit lines, where the first and second circuit lines may have different line widths, different line-to-line spacings, and/or be formed of different materials.

First claim

1 . A tamper-respondent assembly comprising:
a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure comprising a tamper-respondent sensor, the tamper-respondent sensor comprising:
at least one flexible layer having opposite first and second sides; and
circuit lines forming at least one resistive network, the circuit lines being disposed on at least one of the first side or the second side of the at least one flexible layer, and the circuit lines having a line width W l ≦200 μm, and a line-to-line spacing width W s ≦200 μm.

2 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the circuit lines have line width W l ≦100 μm, and line-to-line spacing width W s ≦100 μm.

3 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the circuit lines include resistive circuit lines comprising a material, line width W l , and a line length L l which provide at least 1000 ohms resistance between ends per resistive circuit line.

4 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 3 , wherein the material comprises at least one of conductive ink, copper, silver, silver carbon or nickel-phosphorus.

5 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flexible layer comprises at least one crystalline polymer layer having the opposite first and second sides with the circuit lines forming the at least one resistive network disposed thereon.

6 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 5 , wherein the at least one crystalline polymer layer comprises at least one of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), or Kapton.

7 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tamper-respondent sensor comprises multiple flexible layers disposed in a stack, the at least one flexible layer being at least one flexible layer of the multiple flexible layers, and wherein the multiple flexible layers further comprise another flexible layer comprising a malleable metal film.

8 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 7 , wherein the malleable metal film comprises copper or a copper alloy.

9 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tamper-respondent sensor comprises multiple flexible layers disposed in a stack, the at least one flexible layer being at least one flexible layer of the multiple flexible layers, and wherein the multiple flexible layers comprise a first flexible layer having first circuit lines, of the circuit lines, and a second flexible layer having second circuit lines, of the circuit lines, the first circuit lines having a first line width W l ≦200 and the second circuit lines having a second line width W l ≦200 μm, wherein the first line width of the first circuit lines is different from the second line width of the second circuit lines.

10 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 9 , wherein the first circuit lines are formed of a first material and the second circuit lines are formed of a second material, the first material of the first circuit lines being a different material from the second material of the second circuit lines.

11 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tamper-respondent sensor further comprises multiple flexible layers disposed in a stack, the at least one flexible layer being at least one flexible layer of the multiple flexible layers, and wherein the multiple flexible layers further comprise a first flexible layer having first circuit lines, of the circuit lines, and a second flexible layer having second circuit lines, of the circuit lines, the first circuit lines being formed of a first material and the second circuit lines being formed of a second material, the first material of the first circuit lines being a different material from the second material of the second circuit lines.

12 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an electronic enclosure to enclose, at least in part, at least one electronic component to be protected, the electronic enclosure comprising an outer surface, and wherein the tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure covers, at least in part, the outer surface of the electronic enclosure.

13 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an electronic enclosure to enclose, at least in part, at least one electronic component to be protected, the electronic enclosure comprising an inner surface, and wherein the tamper-respondent sensor overlies, at least in part, the inner surface of the electronic enclosure.

14 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 13 , further comprising:
a multilayer circuit board, the at least one electronic component being associated with the multilayer circuit board; an embedded tamper-respondent sensor disposed within the multilayer circuit board; and wherein the electronic enclosure seals to the multilayer circuit board, and the tamper-respondent sensor covering, at least in part, the inner surface of the electronic enclosure, and the embedded tamper-respondent sensor within the multilayer circuit board facilitate defining a secure volume about the at least one electronic component.

15 . A tamper-respondent assembly comprising:
a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure comprising a tamper-respondent sensor, the tamper-respondent sensor comprising:
multiple flexible layers, the flexible layers having opposite first and second sides, and the flexible layers being disposed in a stack;
circuit lines forming at least one resistive network, and disposed on at least one of the first side or the second side of at least two flexible layers of the multiple flexible layers; and
wherein a first flexible layer of the at least two flexible layers comprises first circuit lines, of the circuit lines, and a second flexible layer of the at least two flexible layers comprises second circuit lines, of the circuit lines, the first circuit lines having a first line width W l and the second circuit lines having a second line width W l , wherein the first line width of the first circuit lines is different from the second line width of the second circuit lines.

16 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first circuit lines of the first flexible layer have a first line-to-line spacing width W s and the second circuit lines of the second flexible layer have a second line-to-line spacing width W s , wherein the first line-to-line spacing width of the first circuit lines is different from the second line-to-line spacing width of the second circuit lines.

17 . A tamper-respondent assembly comprising:
a tamper-respondent electronic circuit structure comprising a tamper-respondent sensor, the tamper-respondent sensor comprising:
multiple flexible layers, the flexible layers having opposite first and second sides, and the flexible layers being disposed in a stack;
circuit lines forming at least one resistive network disposed on at least one of the first side or the second side of at least two flexible layers of the multiple flexible layers; and
wherein a first flexible layer of the at least two flexible layers comprises first circuit lines, of the circuit lines, formed of a first material, and a second flexible layer of the at least two flexible layer comprises second circuit lines, of the circuit lines, formed of a second material, the first material of the first circuit lines being a different material from the second material of the second circuit lines.

18 . The tamper-respondent assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first circuit lines have a first line width and the second circuit lines have a second line width, the first line width of the first circuit lines being different from the second lin

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brodsky William L
• Busby James A
• Isaacs Phillip Duane
• Long David C

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W42/20

  protecting against electromagnetic or particle radiation, e.g. light, X-rays, gamma-rays or electrons · CPC title

• H10W42/405

  using active circuits · CPC title

• H10W70/688

  Flexible insulating substrates · CPC title

• H10W70/65

  Shapes or dispositions of interconnections · CPC title