PUF-based Root-of-trust IP Overcomes SRAM Stability Challenge
By Nitin Dahad (EE Times)
The use of physically unclonable function (PUF) technology for Internet of things (IoT) device security is not new — there are plenty of companies offering-PUF-based security to overcome the limitation of conventional secure key storage. But many of the current solutions are based on SRAM PUF, which produces results that can vary with changes in environmental conditions.
Looking for a PUF technique that renders more consistent results, Taiwanese-based PUFsecurity (a subsidiary of eMemory Technology) introduced what it said is the first quantum-tunneling PUF-based root-of-trust IP (intellectual property). The year-old company calls it PUFrt.
The company said PUFrt helps improve product-identity management by creating unique IDs. For key generation, which is crucial for coding and decoding sensitive data, PUFrt does this by outputting true random numbers. Furthermore, PUFrt also securely protects keys from physical tampering in the embedded secure OTP.
Speaking to EE Times, president of PUFsecurity, Charles Hsu, said, “We are first in the market to use the quantum tunneling mechanism to create this PUF. The benefit of using quantum tunneling is to create a very stable PUF and untraceable. The IP creates secret numbers, so you don’t want it to be visible or be traceable, and it has to be very unique, and also very stable. By using quantum tunneling, it makes the PUF very stable and untraceable.”....more
