Intel Corporation

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Nds Corporation

Rami Sudai

Elad Peer

Elena Sidorov

Reuven Elbaum

Steve J Brown

Uri Bear

Yonatan Shlomovich

Samuel Katz

In one embodiment, memory cell includes a control gate, a floating gate, a substrate comprising a source region and a drain region, a first isolator between the control gate and floating gate, and a second isolator between the floating gate and the substrate. The memory cell is configured to have a retention time that is within a statistical window around a selected lifespan. The selected lifespan may be less than ten years, such as, for example, less than one year, less than one month, or less than one week.

Memory structure for self-erasing secret storage

In one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises: a bulk comprising a bulk material characterized by a potential designated as a ground, and a bulk thinning detector being a section of the bulk that includes one or more conducting materials. The bulk thinning detector is adapted to be connected to the ground when a part of the bulk material is underneath and contiguous with a portion of the one or more conducting materials in the section. The semiconductor device further comprises: one more electronic components in at least one active layer of the semiconductor device, the one or more electronic components and the bulk thinning detector being included in a circuit for detecting whether there is backside thinning of the semiconductor device by detecting whether at least one of: the bulk thinning detector is disconnected from the ground, or there is a change in resistance of the bulk thinning detector.

Bulk thinning detector

An apparatus for detecting tampering with an integrated circuit (IC), the apparatus comprising a second circuit comprising at least one conductor for conducting electrical current, the electrical current comprising, during at least one period of time, current of known strength, the electrical current generating a magnetic field, at least one magnetic field sensing device operatively associated with the IC, the sensing device having at least one electrical characteristic responsive to changes in a sensed magnetic field, the magnetic field sensing device being positioned so as to sense the magnetic field generated by current in the at least one conductor, and an analyzer operatively associated with the at least one magnetic field sensing device and the IC, the analyzer determining that the IC is being tampered with based, at least in part, on changes in the at least one electrical characteristic of the at least one magnetic field sensing device in response to changes in the sensed magnetic field generated by the electrical current in the at least one conductor during the at least one period of time. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Tamper-detecting electronic system

Growing community of inventors

Haifa, Israel

Rami Sudai