Secure intra-chip hardware micro-segmentation using charged particle beam processing

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for using different encryption keys written into interconnects of different functional blocks in different integrated circuits to securely encrypt and authenticate firmware, data, instructions and other messages transmitted among said functional blocks; and methods, systems and devices to obfuscate encryption keys to significantly increase the time and resources required to compromise those keys, ensuring encrypted data is only decrypted by authorized functional blocks, applications or users. Unique keys, small enough not to impact substrate surface area available for other device functions, can be written by charged particle beams such that multiple (or each of) functional blocks has a corresponding key unique within an IC and across a line of ICs and so that access to said keys is as limited (or nonexistent) as desired. Circuits embodying key bits can also be distributed throughout ICs and across layers, uniquely to individual functional blocks in individual ICs, to obfuscate patterns implementing keys and thereby raising time and resource cost to reverse engineer keys to prohibitive levels.