POWERING AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM WITH AN OPTICAL SOURCE TO DEFEAT POWER ANALYSIS ATTACKS

• US 20200136346A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary Alan Evans, Jennifer Lynn Dworak, Ping Gui, Scott Mcwilliams
• Original Assignee: Gary Alan Evans, Jennifer Lynn Dworak, Ping Gui, Scott Mcwilliams
• Inventors: Evans, Gary Alan, Dworak, Jennifer Lynn, Gui, Ping, McWilliams, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,741,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/755 with measures against power attack
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/57 Protection from inspection, reverse engineering or tampering
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/58 Structural electrical arrangements for semiconductor devices not otherwise provided for , e.g. in combination with batteries H01L23/49593, H01L23/49596 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/04 adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices testing thereof during manufacture H01L22/00; testing thereof after manufacture H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/042 Electrical excitation ; Circuits therefor monolithically integrated laser drive components H01S5/0261
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06804 by monitoring an external parameter, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/003 for power analysis, e.g. differential power analysis [DPA] or simple power analysis [SPA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A device that is capable of eliminating a power trace that can be analyzed in a power analysis attack and serves as a highly effective countermeasure against power analysis attacks. The device comprising an optical source providing optical energy to an integrated circuit. An optical detector optically linked to the optical source and converts the optical energy from the optical source into electrical energy to power a secure circuit.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an optical source providing optical energy directly to a secure circuit within an integrated circuit;

an optical detector optically linked to the optical source;

wherein the optical detector converts optical energy from the optical source into electrical energy; and

the secure circuit within the integrated circuit receiving electrical energy from the optical detector.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical source is a semiconductor laser.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical source is a light emitting diode.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical detector is a photovoltaic device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical detector is a reverse-biased photodiode.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the secure circuit is a circuit that performs switching that draws detectable differences in power when performing the switching.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the switching can be used to deduce a key.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the secure circuit is a cryptographic circuit that performs a cryptographic algorithm and draws detectable differences in power when performing the cryptographic algorithm.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the secure circuit stores highly secure data.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the secure circuit is embedded in a semiconductor die.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connections between the optical detector and the secure circuit, wherein the plurality of connections are through semiconductor vias.

12. A device comprising:

an optical source providing optical energy to a secure circuit within an integrated circuit;

an optical detector optically linked to the optical source;

wherein the optical detector converts optical energy from the optical source into electrical energy;

the secure circuit within the integrated circuit connected to the optical detector;

wherein the secure circuit within the integrated circuit is configured to receive electrical energy directly from the optical detector;

a non-secure circuit within the integrated circuit;

electrical leads powering the non-secure circuit and the secure circuit; and

a controller configured to switch power delivery to the secure circuit from the electrical leads to the electrical energy provided by the optical detector.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the secure circuit, the optical source, and the optical detector are on a power island.

14. The device of claim 12, further comprising a battery embedded within the integrated circuit.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the battery is configured to power the secure circuit when the power from the electrical leads are switched off.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller switches power delivery to the secure circuit from the electrical leads to the electrical energy provided by the optical detector when the secure circuit is performing a cryptographic algorithm.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller switches the power delivery to the secure circuit from the electrical energy provided by the optical detector back to the electrical leads after the secure circuit completes a cryptographic algorithm.

18. The device of claim 12, further comprising lines between the secure circuit and the non-secure circuit.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein communication in the lines is enabled by digital isolation circuits in the secure circuit and the non-secure circuit.

20. A method of powering a device comprising:

providing optical energy to a secure circuit within an integrated circuit from an optical source;

optically linking an optical detector to the optical source to receive the optical energy;

converting the optical energy into electrical energy; and

powering the secure circuit within the integrated circuit with the electrical energy from the optical detector.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising powering the secure circuit with electrical leads.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising configuring a controller to switch power delivery to the secure circuit from the electrical leads to the optical detector when the secure circuit is performing a cryptographic algorithm.

23. An optical source powered integrated circuit comprising:

a broad area laser mounted on a first layer of an integrated circuit;

an optical detector mounted on the first layer and optically linked to the broad area laser;

wherein the optical detector converts optical energy from the broad area laser into electrical energy;

a secure circuit embedded within a second layer of the integrated circuit beneath the first layer; and

wherein the secure circuit receives electrical energy directly from the optical detector.

24. The integrated circuit of claim 23, wherein the optical detector is spaced from the broad area laser so the far-field beam pattern of the broad area laser uniformly illuminates the optical detector.

25. The integrated circuit of claim 23, wherein the broad area laser is gallium arsenide based.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 23, wherein the optical detector is gallium arsenide based.

27. The device of claim 23, wherein the broad area laser has a power conversion efficiency of 40% or more.

28. The device of claim 23, wherein the optical detector has a total optical to electrical power conversion efficiency of 20% or more.