Decoy security based on stress-engineered substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020172430-A1
Application number	US-201816207709-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 3, 2018
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	Jun 4, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system includes a stress-engineered substrate comprising at least one tensile stress layer having a residual tensile stress and at least one compressive stress layer having a residual compressive stress. The at least one tensile layer and the at least one compressive layer are coupled such that the at least one tensile stress layer and the at least one compressive stress layer are self-equilibrating. At least one functional device is disposed on the stress-engineered substrate. The stress-engineered substrate is configured to fracture in response to energy applied to the substrate. Fracturing the stress-engineered substrate also fractures the functional device. The system includes at least one decoy device. Fragments of the decoy device are configured to obscure one or more physical characteristics of the functional device and/or one or more functional characteristics of the functional device after the functional device is fractured.

First claim

1 . A system, comprising:
a stress-engineered substrate comprising at least one tensile stress layer having a residual tensile stress and at least one compressive stress layer having a residual compressive stress and being mechanically coupled to the at least one tensile stress layer such that the at least one tensile stress layer and the at least one compressive stress layer are self-equilibrating; at least one functional device disposed on the stress-engineered substrate, the stress-engineered substrate configured to fracture in response to energy applied to the stress-engineered substrate wherein fracturing the stress-engineered substrate also fractures the functional device; and at least one decoy device configured to obscure at least one of one or more physical characteristics of the functional device and one or more functional characteristics of the functional device after the fracturing of the functional device.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the decoy device is disposed on the stress-engineered substrate and the fracturing of the stress-engineered substrate also fractures the decoy device.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the decoy device is not disposed on the stress-engineered substrate and is pre-fragmented.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second stress-engineered substrate, wherein the decoy device is disposed on the second stress-engineered substrate and the second stress-engineered substrate is configured to fracture in response to energy applied to the second stress-engineered substrate, wherein fracturing the second stress-engineered substrate also fractures the decoy device.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the first stress-engineered substrate and the second stress-engineered substrate are mechanically coupled such that fractures propagating in one of the stress-engineered substrates are transmitted to the other stress-engineered substrate, the propagating fractures fragmenting the functional device and the decoy device.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical characteristics of the functional device obscured by the decoy device comprise one or more of mass, size, shape, material or coatings of the functional device.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein after fracturing:
the functional device comprises fragments having a first thickness; and the decoy device comprises fragments having a plurality of different thicknesses.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the functional device comprises one or more first coatings; and the decoy device comprises a plurality of second coatings.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the functional device comprises a one or more first materials; and the decoy device comprises a plurality of second materials.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more functional characteristics of the functional device obscured by the decoy device comprises one or more of circuit operation and stored data.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the functional device comprises one or more integrated circuits and the decoy device includes one or more integrated circuits that are different from the integrated circuits of the functional device.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein data stored in the integrated circuits of the functional device are different from data stored in the integrated circuits of the decoy device.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein data stored in the decoy device are null data.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the data stored in the decoy device are configured to corrupt the data stored in the functional device.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the functional device comprises one or more integrated circuits that store data; and the decoy device includes one or more integrated circuits that are identical to the integrated circuits of the functional device and store different data from the data stored in the integrated circuits of the functional device.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the applied energy comprises one or more of mechanical energy, thermal energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, magnetic energy, and optical energy.

17 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an energy source configured to generate the energy; and trigger circuitry configured to cause the energy to be applied to the stress-engineered substrate.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein:
the energy source comprises a heater thermally coupled to the stress-engineered substrate; and the trigger circuitry comprises a switch configured to activate the heater.

19 . A method, comprising:
applying energy to a stress-engineered substrate having at least one functional device disposed thereon; the applied energy creating an initial fracture in the stress-engineered substrate; the initial fracture generating propagating fractures in the stress-engineered substrate; the propagating fractures fragmenting the substrate and the functional device; and obscuring at least one of a functional characteristic and a physical characteristic of the functional device after the functional devices fragments using fragments of a decoy device.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the decoy device is disposed on the stress-engineered substrate and fracturing of the stress-engineered substrate also fractures the decoy device.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Limb Scott J
• Murphy Patrick

Classifications

• C03C4/0064 Primary

  for self-destructing glass (C03C4/0014 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K1/0275 Primary

  Security details, e.g. tampering prevention or detection · CPC title

• H01L23/57

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10W42/40

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

• H05K2203/178

  Demolishing, e.g. recycling, reverse engineering, destroying for security purposes; Using biodegradable materials · CPC title