 |
|
Designing microchips that contain multiple selves
June 12, 2008Rice University computer engineers have created a way to design integrated circuits that can contain many multiple selves. The chips can assume one identify or a subset of identities at a time, depending on the user's needs. New research shows that multiple "personalities" in an integrated circuit can be even a more powerful security mechanism that can be used for a variety of digital rights management tasks as well as for circuit optimization and customization without sacrificing the related power, delay and area metrics.
The technology is being unveiled today at the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Anaheim, Calif. It could be used for enhanced device security, content provisioning, application metering, device optimization and more.
"With 'n-variant' integrated circuits, it is possible to design portable media players that are inherently unique," said Farinaz Koushanfar, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice and principal investigator on the project. "New methods of digital rights management can be built upon such devices. For example, media files can be made such that they only run on a certain variant and cannot be played by another."
Koushanfar said content providers could also use n-variant chips to sell metered access to software, music or movies because the chips can be programmed to switch from one variant to another at a particular time or after a file has been accessed a certain number of times. She said the availability of multiple triggers for switching between variants opens the door for diverse applications.
"Our polymorphic chips can switch between variants based on both external triggers and automated, self-adaptive triggers," said Rice computer science graduate student Yousra Alkabani, who will present a paper on the research at the DAC conference today.
"An important application is in providing security through diversity," Alkabani said. "The key here is that a successful adversary has to simultaneously compromise all chip variants with the same input. By switching among the variants -- and by designing each in a security-conscious way -- we can make it impossible for attackers to do this."
The idea of providing security through diversity is not new. But unlike previous strategies, Rice's method has low overhead costs -- it doesn't sap processing and battery power -- and it's inherently more secure while the devices are all coming from the same mask.
"It's possible to achieve diversity by adding redundant hardware cores, but such an approach would incur a huge overhead and it would be vulnerable to attacks," Koushanfar said. "A key advantage to integrating the heterogeneity into the functional specification of the design is that removal, extractions or deletion of the variants is not viable, regardless of whether they were configured during manufacturing or post-manufacturing."
Koushanfar said the combination of low overhead and maximum security opens the door to many applications. "Our approach will allow integrated circuit designers to build diverse chips with a single mask. They can also make self-adaptive and polymorphic hardware."
She said some of the most exciting possibilities are in device optimization.
"Because of manufacturing variability, no two silicon chips have the exact same characteristics. When chipmakers produce new chips, they test them to see which ones perform the best. With our approach, integrated circuit designers can use the testing results to select the variant that has the best power/delay characteristics and performance for specific tasks."
In the realm of digital rights management and content metering, Koushanfar said low overhead is particularly attractive to those who wish to make secure, lightweight portable embedded devices. To demonstrate, she and Alkabani used the n-variant methodology to design a prototype portable MPEG media player. They found they were able to implement millions of variants of the player on a single chip with negligible overhead.
Rice University
Koushanfar said content providers could also use n-variant chips to sell metered access to software, music or movies because the chips can be programmed to switch from one variant to another at a particular time or after a file has been accessed a certain number of times. She said the availability of multiple triggers for switching between variants opens the door for diverse applications.
"Our polymorphic chips can switch between variants based on both external triggers and automated, self-adaptive triggers," said Rice computer science graduate student Yousra Alkabani, who will present a paper on the research at the DAC conference today.
"An important application is in providing security through diversity," Alkabani said. "The key here is that a successful adversary has to simultaneously compromise all chip variants with the same input. By switching among the variants -- and by designing each in a security-conscious way -- we can make it impossible for attackers to do this."
The idea of providing security through diversity is not new. But unlike previous strategies, Rice's method has low overhead costs -- it doesn't sap processing and battery power -- and it's inherently more secure while the devices are all coming from the same mask.
"It's possible to achieve diversity by adding redundant hardware cores, but such an approach would incur a huge overhead and it would be vulnerable to attacks," Koushanfar said. "A key advantage to integrating the heterogeneity into the functional specification of the design is that removal, extractions or deletion of the variants is not viable, regardless of whether they were configured during manufacturing or post-manufacturing."
Koushanfar said the combination of low overhead and maximum security opens the door to many applications. "Our approach will allow integrated circuit designers to build diverse chips with a single mask. They can also make self-adaptive and polymorphic hardware."
She said some of the most exciting possibilities are in device optimization.
"Because of manufacturing variability, no two silicon chips have the exact same characteristics. When chipmakers produce new chips, they test them to see which ones perform the best. With our approach, integrated circuit designers can use the testing results to select the variant that has the best power/delay characteristics and performance for specific tasks."
In the realm of digital rights management and content metering, Koushanfar said low overhead is particularly attractive to those who wish to make secure, lightweight portable embedded devices. To demonstrate, she and Alkabani used the n-variant methodology to design a prototype portable MPEG media player. They found they were able to implement millions of variants of the player on a single chip with negligible overhead.
Rice University
Integrated Circuits News and Current Integrated Circuits Events RSSCreating unconventional metals
The semiconductor silicon and the ferromagnet iron are the basis for much of mankind's technology, used in everything from computers to electric motors. In this week's issue of the journal Nature (August 21st) an international group of scientists, including academic and industrial researchers from the UK, USA and Lesotho, report that they have combined these elements with a small amount of another common metal, manganese, to create a new material which is neither a magnet nor an ordinary semiconductor.
'Nanonet' circuits closer to making flexible electronics reality
Researchers have overcome a major obstacle in producing transistors from networks of carbon nanotubes, a technology that could make it possible to print circuits on plastic sheets for applications including flexible displays and an electronic skin to cover an entire aircraft to monitor crack formation.
The photonic beetle
Researchers have been unable to build an ideal "photonic crystal" to manipulate visible light, impeding the dream of ultrafast optical computers.
Scientists demonstrate method for integrating nanowire devices directly onto silicon
Applied scientists at Harvard University in collaboration with researchers from the German universities of Jena, Gottingen, and Bremen, have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production.
Melting defects could lead to smaller, more powerful microchips
As microchips shrink, even tiny defects in the lines, dots and other shapes etched on them become major barriers to performance. Princeton engineers have now found a way to literally melt away such defects, using a process that could dramatically improve chip quality without increasing fabrication cost.
Making a good impression: Nanoimprint lithography tests at NIST
In what should be good news for integrated circuit manufacturers, recent studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped resolve two important questions about an emerging microcircuit manufacturing technology called nanoimprint lithography-yes, it can accurately stamp delicate insulating structures on advanced microchips, and, no, it doesn't damage them, in fact it makes them better.
Graphene used to create world's smallest transistor
Researchers have used the world's thinnest material to create the world's smallest transistor, one atom thick and ten atoms wide.
Getting wired for terahertz computing
University of Utah engineers took an early step toward building superfast computers that run on far-infrared light instead of electricity: They made the equivalent of wires that carried and bent this form of light, also known as terahertz radiation, which is the last unexploited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Cycling more intelligently
Cycling is fun - if you can find the right tread. But those who tire themselves out quickly lose the desire to conquer the world on two wheels.
Foldable and stretchable, silicon circuits conform to many shapes
Scientists have developed a new form of stretchable silicon integrated circuit that can wrap around complex shapes such as spheres, body parts and aircraft wings, and can operate during stretching, compressing, folding and other types of extreme mechanical deformations, without a reduction in electrical performance.
More Integrated Circuits News Articles
 | Microelectronic Circuits: includes CD-ROM (The Oxford Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering) by Adel S. Sedra, Kenneth C. Smith This market-leading textbook continues its standard of excellence and innovation built on the solid pedagogical foundation that instructors expect from Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith. All material in the fifth edition of Microelectronic Circuits is thoroughly updated to reflect changes in technology-CMOS technology in particular. These technological changes have shaped the book's organization... |
 | Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits (4th Edition) by Paul R. Gray, Paul J. Hurst, Stephen H. Lewis, Robert G. Meyer The fourth edition features coverage of cutting edge topics--more advanced CMOS device electronics to include short-channel effects, weak inversion and impact ionization. In this resourceful book find: * Coverage of state-of-the-art IC processes shows how modern integrated circuits are fabricated, including recent issues like heterojunction bipolar transistors, copper interconnect and low... |
 | Digital Integrated Circuits (2nd Edition) (Printice Hall Electronics and Vlsi Series) by Jan M. Rabaey, Anantha Chandrakasan, Borivoje Nikolic |
 | CMOS VLSI Design: A Circuits and Systems Perspective (3rd Edition) by Neil Weste, David Harris |
 | Microelectronic Circuit Analysis and Design by Donald Neamen This junior level electronics text provides a foundation for analyzing and designing analog and digital electronic circuits. Numerous new pedagogical features continue the tradition of providing an accessible approach to learning through clear writing and real-world pedagogy. The third edition includes numerous design examples, a new Design Application feature, problem solving technique... |
 | Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits by Behzad Razavi The CMOS technology area has quickly grown, calling for a new text--and here it is, covering the analysis and design of CMOS integrated circuits that practicing engineers need to master to succeed. Filled with many examples and chapter-ending problems, the book not only describes the thought process behind each circuit topology, but also considers the rationale behind each modification. The... |
 | All New Electronics Self-Teaching Guide (Wiley Self Teaching Guides) by Harry Kybett, Earl Boysen Understand the basics of electronics with the information in the newly revised and updated All New Electronics Self-Teaching Guide, 3rd Edition, a valuable introduction to electronic circuits. The latest version reflects current technologies and theories but still maintains its original easy-to-follow format, ideal for beginners and hobbyists. New appendices will provide you with information... |
 | Introduction to Microelectronic Fabrication: Volume 5 of Modular Series on Solid State Devices (2nd Edition) (Modular Series on Solid State Deviced, Vol 5) by Richard C. Jaeger |
 | Tab Electronics Guide to Understanding Electricity and Electronics by G. Randy Slone All-inclusive introduction to electricity and electronics. For the true beginner, there's no better introduction to electricity and electronics than TAB Electronics Guide to Understanding Electricity and Electronics , Second Edition. Randy Slone's learn-as-you-go guide tells you how to put together a low-cost workbench and start a parts and materials inventory--including money-saving how-to's... |
 | Contemporary Logic Design (2nd Edition) by Randy H. Katz, Gaetano Borriello |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |