S-H. Song, S.Kim, S-S. Lee, and C.H. Kim
ANAFLASH Inc, United States
Keywords: Supply chain management, counterfeit IC, logic compatible embedded flash, counterfeit detection sensor, non-destructive
The use of counterfeit parts in defense systems can endanger the safety of military systems and personnel. To better prevent counterfeit ICs from entering the assembly, we are developing a logic compatible eFlash based counterfeit detection sensor that can be embedded to any ICs in the supply chain. The eFlash sensor is based on our patent pending memory and circuit IPs and the concept of using eFlash in counterfeit detection has been demonstrated in a standard CMOS logic process. Our logic compatible eFlash cell is built using standard logic devices without additional processing cost. Once the original data is carefully recorded from the manufacturer, the number of electrons in the Floating Gate (FG) are expected to be preserved unless any counterfeiting activities are applied. Since FG node is exposed to the environment, any suspicious activities resulting humidity, chemicals, debris, electrostatic charges, physical contact, etc., can be programmed to the sensor by changing the number of electrons stored in the FG node. Experimental result from our prototype shows the sensor can detect existence and location of debris. Frequency change map was electrically analyzed and well matched to the result from the destructive visual inspection.