Monolithic semiconductor device for preventing external access to an encryption key

• US 7,165,180 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ducharme, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIN HON
• Application Number:
  US09/995,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 380/21, 380/30, 380/9, 380 45- 49, 365/225.7, 713/182
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0618 Block ciphers, i.e. encrypting groups of characters of a plain text message using fixed encryption transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A monolithic semiconductor device having an encryption engine and encryption key register to store one or more encryption keys, where the contents of the encryption key register are observable, or can be made observable, only to internal components of the device is disclosed herein. The encryption key register can be implemented as an integrated or non-integrated volatile or non-volatile memory location. The monolithic semiconductor device can also include means for temporarily externally accessing and/or defining the contents of the key register during the manufacturing process and/or for a limited number of times after the manufacture and/or testing of the monolithic semiconductor device is completed.

Claims

1. A monolithic semiconductor device comprising:

a memory location having an output port, wherein a data value to be stored in said memory location is observable only internally to the monolithic semiconductor device;

an asymmetrical encryption engine having an input port coupled to the output port of the memory location and an output port to provide a symmetrical encryption key based on the data value;

a symmetrical encryption engine having an input port coupled to an output port of the asymmetrical encryption engine, wherein the symmetrical encryption engine is to perform an encryption function using the symmetrical encryption key; and

at least one silicon die pad having an input coupled to output port of said memory location to provide temporary access to said memory location.

2. A monolithic semiconductor device comprising:

an external data port having an input and an output;

a first encryption engine having an input coupled to the input of said external data port and an output;

a second encryption engine having an input coupled to the output of the first encryption engine and an output;

a memory location having an output coupled to the input of said first encryption engine;

an isolation portion coupled to the output of said memory location and to the input of said external data port, wherein said isolation portion is modifiable to permanently prevent access of said memory location by the external data port; and

wherein the first encryption engine is to provide a first encryption key based on a value stored at said memory location to said second encryption engine.

3. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, wherein said memory location includes non-volatile memory.

4. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 3, wherein said value stored in said memory location is defined during a manufacture of the monolithic semiconductor device.

5. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 4, wherein said value is defined using a lithographic technique.

6. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 4, wherein said value is defined using a laser etching technique.

7. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, wherein said memory location includes volatile memory.

8. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, wherein said memory location is located in a specific location of the monolithic semiconductor device.

9. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, wherein said value includes a second encryption key.

10. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 9, wherein said memory location is to store a plurality of encryption keys.

11. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 9, wherein said first encryption engine is to use a portion of the first encryption key to perform an encryption function.

12. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 9, wherein said first encryption engine is an asymmetrical encryption engine and said second encryption engine is a symmetrical encryption engine.

13. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 12, wherein the first encryption key includes a symmetrical encryption key, and wherein said second encryption engine is to perform an encryption function using the symmetrical encryption key.

14. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, wherein said isolation portion includes a fuse coupled between the input of said external port and the output of said memory location.

15. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, further including at least one silicon die pad coupled to the output of said memory location to provide temporary external access to said memory location.

16. The monolithic semiconductor device as in claim 2, further including a unique ID register having an output coupled to the input of said first encryption engine to store a unique ID.

17. A method comprising:

accessing, by a first encryption engine internal to a monolithic semiconductor device, data from a memory location internal to the monolithic semiconductor device, wherein the memory location is accessible only internal to the monolithic semiconductor device;

generating, at the first encryption engine, a first encryption key based on the data from the memory location, wherein the data represents a second encryption key;

providing the first encryption key for storage in the memory location;

providing the first encryption key to a second encryption engine internal to the monolithic semiconductor device; and

performing an encryption function at the second encryption engine using the first encryption key.