Abstract
True Random Number Generators (TRNGs) are essential primitives in any cryptographic system. They provide the foundation to secure authorization and authentication. This work proposes a generator that exploits the metastability effect of cross-coupled logic gates, as found in SR latches. Based on emerging reconfigurable transistor technology, a random number generator design has been proposed that doubles the throughput, compared to a similar standard CMOS design, by exploiting transistor-level reconfiguration. The proposed design is superior in terms of the number of transistors per block, power consumption and in critical path delay with respect to its CMOS counterpart. Random Number bit sequence are generated by operating the given design at three operating frequencies of 10 MHz, 100 MHz and 200 MHz. Firstly, the Shannon entropy for the generated bit sequence is measured, and then the generated bit sequence are subjected to statistical evaluation using the NIST benchmark suite. The \(P^\prime \) values for the NIST benchmarks is above the accepted threshold, which underlines the assumption that the designed circuit produces the random numbers based on the metastability effect.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
This is because the remaining benchmarks in the suite (Maurer’s Universal statistical, Linear, Radom excursion tests) require more than \(10^7\) bits for evaluation and it would amount to an unfeasible time duration to generate the bits using simulation [40] for a TCAD-based verilog-A model for RFETs [13].
References
Bhunia, S., Tehranipoor, M.: Hardware security primitives, chapter 12. In: Hardware Security, pp. 311–345. Morgan Kaufmann (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812477-2.00017-4, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128124772000174. ISBN 978-0-12-812477-2
Bi, Y., et al.: Enhancing hardware security with emerging transistor technologies. In: Proceedings of the 26th Edition on Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI. GLSVLSI’16. pp. 305–310. ACM, Boston, Massachusetts (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2902961.2903041, http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2902961.2903041. ISBN 978-1-4503-4274-2
Bi, Y., et al.: Leveraging emerging technology for hardware security - case study on silicon nanowire FETs and graphene SymFETs. In: 2014 IEEE 23rd Asian Test Symposium, pp. 342–347 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1109/ATS.2014.69
Bucci, M., et al.: A high-speed oscillator-based truly random number source for cryptographic applications on a smart card IC. IEEE Trans. Comput. 52(4), 403–409 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1109/TC.2003.1190581. ISSN 2326-3814
Chen, A., et al.: Using emerging technologies for hardware security beyond PUFs. In: 2016 Design, Automation Test in Europe Conference Exhibition (DATE), pp. 1544–1549 (2016)
De Marchi, M., et al.: Polarity control in double-gate, gate-all-around vertically stacked silicon nanowire FETs. In: 2012 International Electron Devices Meeting, pp. 8.4.1–8.4.4 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM.2012.6479004
Davies, R.B.: Exclusive OR (XOR) and hardware random number generators (2002)
Fujieda, N., Takeda, M., Ichikawa, S.: An analysis of DCM-based true random number generator. In: IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. II: Express Briefs, 1–1 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSII.2019.2926555. ISSN 1558-3791 , 1109–1113 (2019). ISSN 1558-3791
Galderisi, G., Mikolajick, T., Trommer, J.: Reconfigurable field effect transistors design solutions for delay-invariant logic gates. IEEE Embed. Syst. Lett. (2022)
Gassend, B., et al.: Silicon physical random functions. In: Proceedings of the 9th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. CCS’02, pp. 148–160. Association for Computing Machinery, Washington, DC (2002). https://doi.org/10.1145/586110.586132. ISBN 1581136129
Golic, J.D.J.: New methods for digital generation and postprocessing of random data. IEEE Trans. Comput. 55(10), 1217–1229 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1109/TC.2006.164. ISSN 2326-3814
Gong, L., et al.: True random number generators using electrical noise. IEEE Access 7, 125796–125805 (2019)
Gore, G., et al.: A predictive process design kit for three-independent-gate field-effect transistors. In: 2019 IFIP/IEEE 27th International Conference on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI-SoC), pp. 172–177 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/VLSI-SoC.2019.Gore2019
Haddad, P., Fischer, V., Bernard, F., Nicolai, J.: A physical approach for stochastic modeling of TERO-based TRNG. In: Güneysu, T., Handschuh, H. (eds.) CHES 2015. LNCS, vol. 9293, pp. 357–372. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48324-4_18
Harada, N., et al.: A polarity-controllable graphene inverter. In: vol. 96(1), p. 012102. American Institute of Physics (2010)
Hata, H., Ichikawa, S.: FPGA implementation of metastability-based true random number generator. IEICE Trans. Inf. Syst. 95(2), 426–436 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1587/transinf.E95.D.426
Heinzig, A., et al.: Reconfigurable silicon nanowire transistors. Nano Lett. 12, 119–24 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1021/nl203094h
Holcomb, D.E., Burleson, W.P., Fu, K.: Power-up SRAM state as an identifying fingerprint and source of true random numbers. IEEE Trans. Comput. 58(9), 1198–1210 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1109/TC.2008.212. ISSN 2326-3814
Holleman, J., et al.: A 3 \(\upmu \)W CMOS true random number generator with adaptive floating-gate offset cancellation. IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits 43(5), 1324–1336 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2008.920327. ISSN 1558-173X
Holman, W.T., Connelly, J.A., Dowlatabadi, A.B.: An integrated analog/digital random noise source. IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. I: Fundam. Theory Appl. 44(6), 521–528 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1109/81.586025. ISSN 1558-1268
Jiang, X., et al.: Investigations on line-edge roughness (LER) and line-width roughness (LWR) in nanoscale CMOS technology: Part I-modeling and simulation method. IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 60(11), 3669–3675 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2013.2283518
Yuan, J., Svensson, C.: New single-clock CMOS latches and flipflops with improved speed and power savings. IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits 32(1), 62–69 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1109/4.553179. ISSN 1558-173X
Kim, S.-J., Umeno, K., Hasegawa, A.: Corrections of the NIST statistical test suite for randomness (2004). https://doi.org/10.48550/ARXIV.NLIN/0401040. https://arxiv.org/abs/nlin/0401040
Kinniment, D.J., Chester, E.G.: Design of an on-chip random number generator using metastability. In: Proceedings of the 28th European Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 595–598 (2002)
Ko, K., et al.: Compact model strategy of metal-gate work-function variation for Ultrascaled FinFET and vertical GAA FETs. IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 66(3), 1613–1616 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2019.2891677
Li, X., et al.: Impact of process fluctuations on reconfigurable silicon nanowire transistor. IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 68(2), 885–891 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2020.3045689
Li, Y., et al.: Process variation effect, metal-gate work-function fluctuation and random dopant fluctuation of 10-nm gate-all-around silicon nanowire MOSFET devices. In: 2015 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), pp. 34.4.1–34.4.4 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1109/IEDM.2015.7409827
Liu, N., et al.: A true random number generator using time-dependent dielectric breakdown. In: 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits - Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 216–217 (2011)
De Marchi, M., et al.: Top-down fabrication of gate-all-around vertically stacked silicon nanowire FETs with controllable polarity. IEEE Trans. Nanotechnol. 13(6), 1029–1038 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1109/TNANO.2014.2363386. ISSN 1536-125X
Markettos, A.T., Moore, S.W.: The frequency injection attack on ring-oscillator-based true random number generators. In: Clavier, C., Gaj, K. (eds.) CHES 2009. LNCS, vol. 5747, pp. 317–331. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04138-9_23
Mathew, S.K., et al.: 2.4 Gbps, 7 mw all-digital PVT-variation tolerant true random number generator for 45 nm CMOS high-performance microprocessors. IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits 47(11), 2807–2821 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1109/JSSC.2012.2217631. ISSN 1558-173X
Mavrovouniotis, S., Ganley, M.: Hardware security modules. In: Markantonakis, K., Mayes, K. (eds.) Secure Smart Embedded Devices, Platforms and Applications, pp. 383–405. Springer, New York (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7915-4_17
Menezes, A.J., et al.: Handbook of Applied Cryptography. CRC Press, Boca Raton (1996)
Mikolajick, T., et al.: The RFET - a reconfigurable nanowire transistor and its application to novel electronic circuits and systems. Semicond. Sci. Technol. 32 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/aa5581
Mulaosmanovic, H., Mikolajick, T., Slesazeck, S.: Random number generation based on ferroelectric switching. IEEE Electron Dev. Lett. 39(1), 135–138 (2018)
Nakaharai, S., et al.: Electrostatically reversible polarity of ambipolar- MoTe2 transistors. ACS Nano 9(6), 5976–5983 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5b00736. PMID 25988597
von Neumann, J.: Various techniques used in connection with random digits, chapter 13. In: Householder, A.S., Forsythe, G.E., Germond, H.H. (eds.) Monte Carlo Method. National Bureau of Standards Applied Mathematics Series, vol. 12, pp. 36–38. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC (1951)
Pappu, R., et al.: Physical one-way functions. Science 297(5589), 2026–2030 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1074376, https://science.sciencemag.org/content/297/5589/2026.full.pdf
Parker, R.J.: Entropy justification for metastability based nondeterministic random bit generator. In: 2017 IEEE 2nd International Verification and Security Workshop (IVSW), pp. 25–30 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1109/IVSW.2017.8031540
Perach, B., Kvatinsky, S.: An asynchronous and low-power true random number generator using STT-MTJ. IEEE Trans. Very Large Scale Integr. (VLSI) Syst. 27(11), 2473–2484 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/TVLSI.2019.2927816. ISSN 1557-9999
Rahman, F., et al.: Security beyond CMOS: fundamentals, applications, and roadmap. IEEE Trans. Very Large Scale Integr. (VLSI) Syst. 25(12), 3420–3433 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1109/TVLSI.2017.2742943. ISSN 1063-8210
Rai, S., Raitza, M., Kumar, A.: Technology mapping flow for emerging reconfigurable silicon nanowire transistors. In: 2018 Design, Automation Test in Europe Conference Exhibition (DATE), pp. 767–772 (2018). https://doi.org/10.23919/DATE.2018.8342110
Rai, S., et al.: A physical synthesis flow for early technology evaluation of silicon nanowire based reconfigurable FETs. In: 2018 Design, Automation Test in Europe Conference Exhibition (DATE), pp. 605–608 (2018)
Rai, S., et al.: Designing efficient circuits based on runtime-reconfigurable field-effect transistors. IEEE Trans. Very Large Scale Integr. (VLSI) Syst. 27(3), 560–572 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1109/TVLSI.2018.2884646. ISSN 1557-9999
Rai, S., et al.: Hardware watermarking using polymorphic inverter designs based on reconfigurable nanotechnologies. In: ISVLSI (2019)
Rai, S., et al.: Security promises and vulnerabilities in emerging reconfigurable nanotechnology-based circuits. IEEE Trans. Emerg. Top. Comput. 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1109/TETC.2020.3039375
Raitza, M., et al.: Raw 2014: random number generators on FPGAs. ACM Trans. Reconfigurable Technol. Syst. 9(2) (2015). https://doi.org/10.1145/2807699. ISSN 1936-7406
Rajendran, J., et al.: Nano meets security: exploring nanoelec-tronic devices for security applications. Proc. IEEE 103(5), 829–849 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2014.2387353
Rukhin, A., et al.: NIST Special Publication 800-22: A Statistical Test Suite for the Validation of Random Number Generators and Pseudo Random Number Generators for Cryptographic Applications. NIST Special Publication 800-22 (2010)
Rupani, A., Rai, S., Kumar, A.: Exploiting emerging reconfigurable technologies for secure devices. In: Euromicro DSD (2019)
Sedra, A.S., Smith, K.C.: Microelectronic Circuits, 5th edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2004)
Sessi, V., et al.: Back-bias reconfigurable field effect transistor: a flexible add-on functionality for 22 nm FDSOI. In: 2021 Silicon Nanoelectronics Workshop (SNW), pp. 1–2. IEEE (2021)
Simon, M., et al.: A wired-and transistor: polarity controllable FET with multiple inputs. In: 2018 76th Device Research Conference (DRC), pp. 1–2 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/DRC.2018.8442159
Simon, M., et al.: Bringing reconfigurable nanowire FETs to a logic circuits compatible process platform. In: 2016 IEEE Nanotechnology Materials and Devices Conference (NMDC), pp. 1–3 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1109/NMDC.2016.7777085
Sistani, M., et al.: Nanometer-scale GE-based adaptable transistors providing programmable negative differential resistance enabling multivalued logic. ACS Nano 15(11), 18135–18141 (2021)
Sunar, B., Martin, W.J., Stinson, D.R.: A provably secure true random number generator with built-in tolerance to active attacks. IEEE Trans. Comput. 56(1), 109–119 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1109/TC.2007.250627. ISSN 2326-3814
Tanachutiwat, S., et al.: Reconfigurable multi-function logic based on graphene p-n junctions. In: Design Automation Conference, pp. 883–888 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1145/1837274.1837496
Tang, X., et al.: TSPC flip-flop circuit design with three-independent-gate silicon nanowire FETs. In: 2014 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), pp. 1660–1663 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1109/ISCAS.2014.6865471
Tokunaga, C., Blaauw, D., Mudge, T.: True random number generator with a metastability-based quality control. In: 2007 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference. Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 404–611 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1109/ISSCC.2007.373465
Torii, N., et al.: ASIC implementation of random number generators using SR latches and its evaluation. EURASIP J. Inf. Secur. 2016(1), 10 (2016)
Trommer, J., et al.: Reconfigurable nanowire transistors with multiple independent gates for efficient and programmable combinational circuits. In: 2016 Design, Automation Test in Europe Conference Exhibition (DATE), pp. 169–174 (2016). ISBN 9783981537062
Trommer, J., et al.: Enabling energy efficiency and polarity control in germanium nanowire transistors by individually gated nanojunctions. ACS Nano 11(2), 1704–1711 (2016)
Varchola, M., Drutarovsky, M.: New high entropy element for FPGA based true random number generators. In: Mangard, S., Standaert, F.-X. (eds.) CHES 2010. LNCS, vol. 6225, pp. 351–365. Springer, Heidelberg (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15031-9_24
Vasyltsov, I., Hambardzumyan, E., Kim, Y.-S., Karpinskyy, B.: Fast digital TRNG based on metastable ring oscillator. In: Oswald, E., Rohatgi, P. (eds.) CHES 2008. LNCS, vol. 5154, pp. 164–180. Springer, Heidelberg (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85053-3_11
Vatajelu, E.I., Di Natale, G.: High-entropy STT-MTJ-based TRNG. IEEE Trans. Very Large Scale Integr. (VLSI) Syst. 27(2), 491–495 (2019)
Wang, R., et al.: Investigations on line-edge roughness (LER) and line-width roughness (LWR) in nanoscale CMOS technology: Part II-experimental results and impacts on device variability. IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 60(11), 3676–3682 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2013.2283517
Wang, Y., et al.: A novel circuit design of true random number generator using magnetic tunnel junction. In: 2016 IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Nanoscale Architectures (NANOARCH), pp. 123–128 (2016)
Weber, W.M., et al.: Silicon to nickel-silicide axial nanowire heterostructures for high performance electronics. Physica Status Solidi (b) 244(11), 4170–4175 (2007)
Zhao, W., Cao, Y.: New generation of predictive technology model for sub-45 nm design exploration. In: 7th International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (ISQED 2006), vol. 6, p. 590 (2006)
Wold, K., Tan, C.H.: Analysis and enhancement of random number generator in FPGA based on oscillator rings. In: 2008 International Conference on Reconfigurable Computing and FPGAs, pp. 385–390 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1109/ReConFig.2008.17
Ye, P., Ernst, T., Khare, M.V.: The last silicon transistor: nanosheet devices could be the final evolutionary step for Moore’s law. IEEE Spectr. 56(8), 30–35 (2019)
Lin, Y.-M., et al.: High-performance carbon nanotube field-effect transistor with tunable polarities. IEEE Trans. Nanotechnol. 4(5), 481–489 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1109/TNANO.2005.851427. ISSN 1941-0085
Yuan, J., Svensson, C.: High-speed CMOS circuit technique. IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits 24(1), 62–70 (1989)
Zhang, J., et al.: Configurable circuits featuring dual-threshold-voltage design with three-independent-gate silicon nanowire FETs. IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. I: Regul. Pap. 61(10), 2851–2861 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSI.2014.2333675. ISSN 1558-0806
Zhang, Z., et al.: Extraction of process variation parameters in FinFET technology based on compact modeling and characterization. IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. 65(3), 847–854 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/TED.2018.2790083
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing
About this paper
Cite this paper
Rai, S. et al. (2022). END-TRUE: Emerging Nanotechnology-Based Double-Throughput True Random Number Generator. In: Grimblatt, V., Chang, C.H., Reis, R., Chattopadhyay, A., Calimera, A. (eds) VLSI-SoC: Technology Advancement on SoC Design. VLSI-SoC 2021. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 661. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16818-5_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16818-5_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-16817-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-16818-5
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)