SaTC: CORE: Small: Battery-less Tamper Detector for Semiconductor Chip Authenticity

本研究旨在探索一种单芯片探测器的各种方法，该探测器(1)可以在不需要电池的情况下记录半导体芯片封装的破坏活动，(2)可以通过无喷嘴液滴喷射器放置在半导体芯片封装中，(3)可以在不打开半导体封装的情况下进行无线询问。该项目的创新之处在于：(1)将热释电能量转换器、GHz谐振器、加速开关和片上天线以低成本集成在一个芯片上；(2)一个亚毫米大小、无电池的篡改探测器芯片，可以通过液滴喷射器放置在半导体封装中，并且可以从半导体封装外部无线询问（是否有任何记录的篡改活动）。该项目更广泛的意义和重要性在于个性化检测和记录篡改活动的基础技术，无需电池等电源，并且可以无线询问记录的事件，特别是确保半导体芯片的真实性。此外，提出的基于液滴喷射器的芯片封装研究可能会为半导体芯片开辟一种新的封装技术，特别是对于那些横向尺寸太小而无法由机器人拾取和放置的芯片。因此，这项研究将对半导体行业产生最重要的影响，但也可能有助于许多其他需要检测涉及温度上升和无电池机械撞击的活动的行业。所提出的无源谐振器也将广泛应用于无电池、无源安全和识别，如射频识别（RFID）。单芯片半导体篡改探测器将基于热释电能量转换器（PEC）产生电压和电荷，以打破基于高谐波体声谐振器（HBAR）的RFID标签与篡改活动相关的热量。当对印刷电路板（PCB）上的半导体芯片施加机械冲击时，作为将半导体芯片从PCB上分离的篡改活动的一部分，MEMS（微机电系统）加速开关将被设计用于在PEC和标签之间建立电气连接，因此，由于脱焊过程产生的热量，PEC的电压和电荷可能会电破坏标签。由于篡改活动涉及在去焊过程后将pcb撞向硬物，因此将设计一个正常关闭的MEMS开关作为加速度或振动传感器来检测撞击。造假者可以选择用其他方法清除IC芯片，而不是拟议的篡改探测器所涵盖的方法，但无济于事或成本太高。该项目将展示一种亚毫米大小、无电池、无线的篡改检测芯片的可行性，该芯片可以通过无喷嘴液滴喷射器安装在半导体封装中。提出的研究将为个性化检测和记录篡改活动的范式转换概念奠定基础技术，以确保半导体芯片的真实性。所提出的换能器可能会影响无线传感器网络，能量收集等，因此，除了半导体行业外，该研究还将极大地影响包括RFID和无线传感器行业在内的许多行业。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research is to explore various approaches for a single-chip detector that (1) can record semiconductor-chip-package tampering activity without the need of a battery, (2) can be placed inside semiconductor chip packages through a nozzle-less droplet ejector, and (3) can be wirelessly interrogated without need to open up the semiconductor package. The project’s novelties are (1) the integration of a pyroelectric energy converter, a GHz resonator, an acceleration switch and an on-chip antenna, all on a single chip at a low cost and (2) a submillimeter-sized, battery-less, tamper detector chip that can be placed inside a semiconductor package through a droplet ejector and that can be wirelessly interrogated (for any recorded tampering activity) from the outside of the semiconductor package. The project's broader significance and importance are the foundational technology for individualized detection and recording of tampering activities, without needing an electrical power source such as the battery, and for the recorded event to be wirelessly interrogated, particularly to ensure the authenticity of semiconductor chips. Also, the proposed study of droplet-ejector-based chip packaging will likely open up a new packaging technology for semiconductor chips, particularly for chips whose lateral dimensions are too small for robotic pick-and-placement. Thus, the research will impact the semiconductor industry the foremost, but will also likely help many other industries needing to detect activities involving temperature rise and mechanical banging without battery. The proposed passive resonator will also be broadly applied to battery-less, passive security and identification such as radio frequency identification (RFID).A single-chip semiconductor-tamper detector will be based on a pyroelectric energy converter (PEC) for generating a voltage and charge to break an RFID tag based on High-overtone Bulk Acoustic Resonator (HBAR) from heat associated with the tamper activity. A MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) acceleration switch will be designed to make an electrical connection between the PEC and the tag when mechanical shocks are applied to semiconductor chips on a printed circuit board (PCB), as a part of a tampering activity to detach semiconductor chips from PCB, so that the voltage and charge of the PEC due to the heat from de-soldering process may electrically break the tag. As the tampering activity involves banging PCBs against hard objects after a de-soldering process, a normally-off MEMS switch will be designed as an acceleration or vibration sensor to detect the banging. Counterfeiters may have options to scavenge IC chips with other methods than the method covered by the proposed tamper detector, but at no avail or at too high costs. The project will show the feasibility of a submillimeter-sized, battery-less and wireless, tamper detecting chip that can be mounted inside a semiconductor package through a nozzle-less droplet ejector. The proposed study will pave foundational technology for a paradigm-shifting concept of individualized detection and recording of tampering activities to ensure authenticity of semiconductor chips. The proposed transducers will likely impact wireless sensor network, energy harvesting, etc., and thus, the research will greatly impact many industries including RFID and wireless sensor industries in addition to semiconductor industry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.