Nxp B.v.

Intrinsic Id B.v.

Abraham C Kruseman

Pim Theo Tuyls

Geert Jan Schrijen

Boris Skoric

Roelof H W Salters

Rutger S Van Veen

Manuel P C Heiligers

A method () is disclosed of generating an identifier from a semiconductor device () comprising a volatile memory () having a plurality of memory cells. The method comprises causing () the memory cells to assume a plurality of pseudo-random bit values inherent to variations in the microstructure of the memory cells; retrieving () the bit values from at least a subset of the plurality of memory cells; and generating the identifier from the retrieved bit values. The method () is based on the realization that a substantial amount of the cells of a volatile memory can assume a bit value that is governed by underlying variations in manufacturing process parameters; this for instance occurs at power-up for an SRAM or after a time period without refresh for a DRAM. This can be used for several identification purposes, such as identifying a semiconductor device () comprising the volatile memory (), or for secure key generation by mapping error-correcting code words onto the identifier bit locations. The present invention further includes a semiconductor device () configured to be subjectable to the method () of the present invention.

Semiconductor device identifier generation method and semiconductor device

A method for alleviating burn-in effect and enabling performing a start-up process in respect of a device comprising a plurality of challengeable memory elements, wherein the memory elements are able to, upon start-up, generate a response pattern of start-up values useful for identification as the response pattern depends on physical characteristics of the memory elements, the method comprising the step of, after start-up of the memory elements, writing a data pattern to the memory elements which is inverse to a response pattern that was previously read from the same memory elements. Thus, degradation of the PMOS transistors due to NBTI can be alleviated.

Method of reducing the occurrence of burn-in due to negative bias temperature instability

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Abraham C Kruseman