Device for prevention of integrated circuit chip counterfeiting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806037-B2
Application number	US-201415039133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2014
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A timer including a sensor and a radiation source is used to prevent counterfeiting of integrated circuits. The timer confirms the date code of the integrated circuit resulting in a more secure supply chain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting, comprising:
a timer device comprising a radiation source component and a sensor component, wherein the sensor component detects an activity level of the radiation component to internally verify a date code stamped on the integrated circuit chip;
a radiation-proof shield covering both the radiation source component and the sensor component; and
a counter or a multimeter or a voltmeter interfacing with the timer device via a spare pin of the integrated circuit chip.

2. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation source component includes a radioactive substance with a known half-life.

3. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 2 , wherein the known half-life of the radioactive substance is linked to a lifetime of the integrated circuit chip.

4. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 2 , wherein the radioactive substance with a known half-life is a sodium isotope.

5. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 4 , wherein the sodium isotope is 22Na.

6. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor component is a biased conductor/insulator junction.

7. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor component is a silicon-carbide (SiC) diode.

8. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 further comprising a logic gate controlling a noninverting input of a first pin based on a signal monitor of a third pin.

9. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 further comprising an amplifier amplifying a difference between a noninverting input of a first pin and an inverting input of a second pin.

10. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the activity level is 1 microcurie.

11. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the activity level is a percentage of an industry-standard activity level.

12. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation source component and the sensor component are laminated to one another.

13. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 1 , wherein the activity level is 1 microcurie.

14. An integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting, comprising:
a timer device comprising a radiation source component and a sensor component, wherein the sensor component detects an activity level of the radiation component to internally verify a date code stamped on the integrated circuit chip;
a radiation-proof shield covering both the radiation source component and the sensor component;
a counter or a multimeter or a voltmeter interfacing with the timer device via a spare pin of the integrated circuit chip; and
a logic gate controlling a noninverting input of a first pin based on a signal monitor of a third pin.

15. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 14 , wherein the radiation source component includes a radioactive substance with a known half-life.

16. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 15 , wherein the known half-life of the radioactive substance is linked to a lifetime of the integrated circuit chip.

17. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 15 , wherein the radioactive substance with a known half-life is a sodium isotope.

18. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 14 , wherein the sensor component is a biased conductor/insulator junction.

19. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 14 further comprising an amplifier amplifying a difference between the noninverting input of the first pin and an inverting input of a second pin.

20. The integrated circuit chip to prevent counterfeiting according to claim 14 , wherein the radiation source component and the sensor component are laminated to one another.

Assignees

• Univ Cornell

Inventors

• Marchetto Peter
• Mack Raymond

Classifications

• H10W42/40 Primary

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

• H10W42/405 Primary

  using active circuits · CPC title

• H01L2924/00

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L23/573

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2924/0002

  Electricity · mapped topic