A novel statistical and circuit-based technique for counterfeit detection in existing ICs

Previously used ICs, which are resold as new, result in undue lost revenue, cause lower performance, reduced life span, and even catastrophic failure of platforms and systems. Non-invasive and inexpensive techniques are needed to establish the authenticity of such ICs that do not have special in-built structures for counterfeit detection. Although delay of circuit increases with its age, it cannot directly reveal the age of the chip, as it is also greatly influenced by process variation. In this work, we show that the relationship between two or more paths within the chip is a great indicator of its age. Using the proposed statistical and circuit-level technique, we observe over 97% correct detection of an aged IC from a new IC. Categories and Subject Descriptors B.8.1 [Performance and Reliability]: Reliability, Testing, and Fault-Tolerance Keywords Counterfeit, Aging, Process Variation

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2013
• Where: GLVLSI
• Authors: Rashmi Moudgil, Dinesh Ganta, Leyla Nazhandali, Michael S. Hsiao, Chao Wang, Simin Hall
• Keywords: GLVLSI 2013, VLSI