Macronix International Co., Ltd.

Food Industry Research and Development Institute

Chin-Hung Chang

Kuen-Long Chang

Chun-Hsiung Hung

Ken-Hui Chen

Wen-Chiao Ho

Chia-Jung Chen

Chia-Feng Cheng

Nai-Ping Kuo

Yu-Chen Wang

Su-Chueh Lo

Chang-Ting Chen

Shuo-Nan Hung

Shih-Chang Huang

Chen-Chia Fan

Shang-Chi Yang

Kuen Long Chang

Chao-Hsin Lin

Kuan-Ming Lu

Min-Hsiung Meng

Wei-Hsien Chang

Jiing-Yang Wu

Yi-Shan Cheng

A device which can be implemented on a single packaged integrated circuit or a multichip module comprises a plurality of non-volatile memory cells, and logic to use a physical unclonable function to produce a key and to store the key in a set of non-volatile memory cells in the plurality of non-volatile memory cells. The physical unclonable function can use entropy derived from non-volatile memory cells in the plurality of non-volatile memory cells to produce a key. Logic is described to disable changes to data in the set of non-volatile memory cells, and thereby freeze the key after it is stored in the set.

Unchangeable physical unclonable function in non-volatile memory

A memory device and an associated control method are provided. The memory device includes a non-volatile memory array and a memory control circuit. The non-volatile memory array includes M secured memory zones. The memory control circuit is electrically connected to the non-volatile memory array. The memory control circuit provides a set of mapping information and searches a request key in the set of mapping information. The set of mapping information represents correspondences between N access keys and the M secured memory zones. The memory control circuit acquires at least one of the M secured memory zones if the request key is one of the N access keys, and performs an access command to the at least one of the M secured memory zones. M and N are positive integers.

Memory device and associated control method

A memory device comprises an array of memory cells, a physically unclonable function PUF circuit in the memory device to generate a PUF code, a data path connecting a first circuit to a second circuit in the memory device coupled to the array of memory cells, and logic circuitry to encode data on the data path from the first circuit using the PUF code to produce encoded data, and to provide the encoded data to the second circuit.

PUF applications in memories

Systems, devices, methods, and circuits for managing content addressable memory (CAM) devices. In one aspect, a semiconductor device includes: a memory cell array configured to store data in memory cells, and a circuitry coupled to the memory cell array and configured to execute a search operation in the memory cell array according to a search instruction. The search instruction includes at least one of search data or an option code, and the option code specifies, for the search operation, at least one of a search length or a search depth.

Managing content addressable memory devices

Systems, devices, methods, and circuits for managing secure writes in semiconductor devices. In one aspect, a semiconductor device includes a memory array and logic circuitry coupled to the memory array. The logic circuitry is configured to execute a secure write operation in the memory array in response to receiving encrypted information. The encrypted information includes at least one of information of data to be written, an option code, or multiple addresses in the memory array, the option code specifying a way of writing the data on at least one of the multiple addresses in the memory array.

Managing secure writes in semiconductor devices

A memory device includes a command decoder that implements security logic to detect a command sequence to read a security region of a memory array with continuous encrypted data and to output/input specific contexts for the data. Output/input of specific contexts can be during a dummy cycle to achieve greater performance. A host interfacing can, for example, execute a single command to both get the encrypted data and specific contexts that were used to encrypt the data. Our technology can implement transferring data on the system bus in ciphertext and encrypted by a different Nonce or a different session key than used in a previous transfer operation. In this way, data will be represented with different ciphertext on the bus at different sessions; thereby defending against a replay attack.

High performance secure read in secure memory providing a continuous output of encrypted information and specific context

A memory chip comprises a first memory controller, a first data storage zone, a security unit and an address configuration unit. The first data storage zone is coupled to the first memory controller, and represented by a first physical address range. The security unit is coupled to the first memory controller. The address configuration unit is coupled to the first memory controller. The memory chip is configured to be coupled between a host controller and another memory chip. The another memory chip comprises a second data storage zone represented by a second physical address range. The address configuration unit records one or more relationships of a logical address range corresponding to the first physical address range and the second physical address range. The security unit is configured to encrypt and decrypt data in the first data storage zone and the second data storage zone.

Memory chip having security verification function and memory device

Systems, methods, circuits, devices, and apparatus including computer-readable mediums for managing tamper detections in secure memory devices. In one aspect, a secure memory device includes: a memory cell array, one or more tamper detectors each configured to detect a respective type of tamper event on at least part of the secure memory device, and a tamper detection status register storing one or more values each indicating a tamper detection status detected by a corresponding tamper detector. The secure memory device can include a command interface coupled to the tamper detection status register and configured to output the values stored in the tamper detection status register when receiving a trigger. The secure memory device can also include an output pin coupled to the tamper detection status register and be configured to automatically output the values stored in the tamper detection status register via the output pin.

Managing tamper detections in secure memory devices

A memory device, including a secure command decoder implementing security logic configured to detect commands carrying an encrypted immediate data payload from a requesting host, authenticate the host as source of the command, decode the immediate data and perform a memory access command called for by a command portion of the decrypted immediate data upon the storage cells of the memory device using the non-command portion of the decrypted immediate data, as well as to encrypt any result from executing the command portion prior to returning the result to the requesting host, and an input/output interface for I/O data units supporting multiple hosts.

Memory device having security command decoder and security logic circuitry performing encryption/decryption commands from a requesting host

A system and method use a physical unclonable function in a PUF circuit on an integrated circuit to generate a security key, and stabilize the security key by storage in a set of nonvolatile memory cells. The stabilized security key is moved from the set of nonvolatile memory cells to a cache memory, and utilized as stored in the cache memory in a security protocol. Also, data transfer from the PUF circuit to the set of nonvolatile memory cells can be disabled after using the PUF circuit to produce the security key, at a safe time, such as after the security key has been moved from the set of nonvolatile memory cells to the cache memory.

Stable physically unclonable function

A memory device can include a memory, and an interface to receive a memory command sequence. A message authentication code MAC is provided with the command sequence. Control circuits on the device include a command decoder to decode a received command sequence and to execute an identified memory operation. A message authentication engine includes logic to compute a value of a message authentication code to be matched with the received message authentication code based on the received command sequence and a stored key. The device can store a plurality of keys associated with one or more memory zones in the memory. Logic on the device prevents completion of the memory operation identified by the command sequence if the value computed does not match the received message authentication code.

Growing community of inventors

Tainan, Taiwan

Chin-Hung Chang