Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reconfigurable physical unclonable cryptographic primitives based on current-induced nanomagnets switching

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Science China Information Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hardware security primitives that preserve secrets are playing a crucial role in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) era. Existing physical unclonable function (PUF) instantiations, exploiting static randomness, generate challenge-response pairings (CRPs) to produce unique security keys that can be used to authenticate devices linked to the IoT. Reconfigurable PUFs (RPUFs) with dynamically refreshable CRPs can enhance the security and robustness of conventional PUFs. The in-plane current-driven perpendicular polarized nanomagnet switching via spin-orbit torque (SOT) possesses great potential for application to memory and logic, as the write-current path is separate from the read-current path, which naturally resolves the write-read interference. However, the stochastic switching of perpendicular magnetization, without an additional symmetry-breaking field, would significantly hinder the technological viability of commercial implementations. Here, we report an initialization-free physical RPUF implemented by SOT-induced stochastic switching of perpendicularly magnetized Ta/CoFeB/MgO nanodevices. Using a 15 × 15 nanomagnet array, we experimentally demonstrate a security primitive that offers a near-ideal 50% uniqueness over 100 reconfiguration cycles, as well as a low correlation coefficient between every two reconfiguration cycles. Our results show that current-induced nanomagnets switching paves the way for developing highly reliable and energy-efficient reconfigurable cryptographic primitives with a smaller footprint.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pappu R, Recht R, Taylor J, et al. Physical one-way functions. Science, 2002, 297: 2026–2030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gassend B, Clarke D E, Dijk M V, et al. Silicon physical random functions. In: Proceedings of the 9th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, Washington, 2002. 148–160

  3. Gassend B, Clarke D, van Dijk M, et al. Delay-based circuit authentication and applications. In: Proceedings of ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, Melbourne, 2003. 294–301

  4. Shimizu K, Suzuki D, Kasuya T. Glitch PUF: extracting information from usually unwanted glitches. IEICE Trans Fundamentals, 2012, 95: 223–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Suh G E, Devadas S. Physical unclonable functions for device authentication and secret key generation. In: Proceedings of IEEE Design Automation Conference, San Diego, 2007. 9–14

  6. Gao Y S, Ranasinghe D C, Al-Sarawi S F, et al. Memristive crypto primitive for building highly secure physical unclonable functions. Sci Rep, 2015, 5: 12785

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Nili H, Adam G C, Hoskins B, et al. Hardware-intrinsic security primitives enabled by analogue state and nonlinear conductance variations in integrated memristors. Nat Electron, 2018, 1: 197–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Rührmair U, Sehnke F, Sölter J, et al. Modeling attacks on physical unclonable functions. In: Proceedings of ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, Chicago, 2010. 237–249

  9. Mahmoud A, Ruührmair U, Majzoobi M, et al. Combined modeling and side channel attacks on strong PUFs. IACR Crypto ePrint Arch 2013, 632

  10. Kursawe K, Sadeghi A R, Schellekens D, et al. Reconfigurable physical unclonable functions-enabling technology for tamper-resistant storage. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Workshop on Hardware-Oriented Security and Trust, Francisco, 2009. 22–29

  11. Zhang L, Kong Z H, Chang C-H, et al. Exploiting process variations and programming sensitivity of phase change memory for reconfigurable physical unclonable functions. IEEE Trans Inform Forensic Secur, 2014, 9: 921–932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gao Y, Ranasinghe D C. R3PUF: a highly reliable memristive device based reconfigurable PUF. 2017. ArXiv:170207491

  13. Pang Y, Gao B, Wu D, et al. 25.2 A reconfigurable RRAM physically unclonable function utilizing post-process randomness source with < 6 × 10−6 native bit error rate. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference-(ISSCC), San Francisco, 2019. 402–404

  14. Zhang L, Fong X Y, Chang C-H, et al. Highly reliable spin-transfer torque magnetic RAM-based physical unclonable function with multi-response-bits per cell. IEEE Trans Inform Forensic Secur, 2015, 10: 1630–1642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Vatajelu E I, Di Natale G, Prinetto P. Security primitives (PUF and TRNG) with STT-MRAM. In: Proceedings of IEEE 34th VLSI Test Symposium (VTS), Las Vegas, 2016. 1–4

  16. Miron I M, Garello K, Gaudin G, et al. Perpendicular switching of a single ferromagnetic layer induced by in-plane current injection. Nature, 2011, 476: 189–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Liu L, Pai C-F, Li Y, et al. Spin-torque switching with the giant spin hall effect of tantalum. Science, 2012, 336: 555–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Qiu X, Narayanapillai K, Wu Y, et al. Spin-orbit-torque engineering via oxygen manipulation. Nat Nanotech, 2015, 10: 333–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Li P, Liu T, Chang H, et al. Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Nat Commun, 2016, 7: 12688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lin P H, Yang B Y, Tsai M H, et al. Manipulating exchange bias by spin-orbit torque. Nat Mater, 2019, 18: 335–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Liu L, Qin Q, Lin W, et al. Current-induced magnetization switching in all-oxide heterostructures. Nat Nanotechnol, 2019, 14: 939–944

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Zhu D, Zhao W. Threshold current density for perpendicular magnetization switching through spin-orbit torque. Phys Rev Appl, 2020, 13: 044078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Peng S, Zhu D, Li W, et al. Exchange bias switching in an antiferromagnet/ferromagnet bilayer driven by spin-orbit torque. Nat Electron, 2020, 3: 757–764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang M, Cai W, Zhu D, et al. Field-free switching of a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction through the interplay of spin-orbit and spin-transfer torques. Nat Electron, 2018, 1: 582–588

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Chen H, Zhang S, Xu N, et al. Binary and ternary true random number generators based on spin orbit torque. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), San Francisco, 2018. 31–34

  26. Finocchio G, Moriyama T, de Rose R, et al. Spin-orbit torque based physical unclonable function. J Appl Phys, 2020, 128: 033904

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ikeda S, Miura K, Yamamoto H, et al. A perpendicular-anisotropy CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junction. Nat Mater, 2010, 9: 721–724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Honjo H, Nguyen T, Watanabe T, et al. First demonstration of field-free SOT-MRAM with 0.35 ns write speed and 70 thermal stability under 400°C thermal tolerance by canted SOT structure and its advanced patterning/SOT channel technology. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), San Francisco, 2019. 21–24

  29. Garello K, Yasin F, Couet S, et al. SOT-MRAM 300 mm integration for low power and ultrafast embedded memories. In: Proceedings of IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, Honolulu, 2018. 81–82

  30. Yu G, Upadhyaya P, Fan Y, et al. Switching of perpendicular magnetization by spin-orbit torques in the absence of external magnetic fields. Nat Nanotech, 2014, 9: 548–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. You L, Lee O J, Bhowmik D, et al. Switching of perpendicularly polarized nanomagnets with spin orbit torque without an external magnetic field by engineering a tilted anisotropy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2015, 112: 10310–10315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Sengupta A, Parsa M, Han B, et al. Probabilistic deep spiking neural systems enabled by magnetic tunnel junction. IEEE Trans Electron Dev, 2016, 63: 2963–2970

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Zand R, Camsari K Y, Pyle S D, et al. Low-energy deep belief networks using intrinsic sigmoidal spintronic-based probabilistic neurons. In: Proceedings of the 2018 on Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI, Chicago, 2018. 15–20

  34. Cai J, Fang B, Zhang L, et al. Voltage-controlled spintronic stochastic neuron based on a magnetic tunnel junction. Phys Rev Appl, 2019, 11: 034015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Jaiswal A, Agrawal A, Chakraborty I, et al. On robustness of spin-orbit-torque based stochastic sigmoid neurons for spiking neural networks. In: Proceedings of International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), Budapest, 2019. 1–6

  36. Jefremow M, Kern T, Allers W, et al. Time-differential sense amplifier for sub-80 mV bitline voltage embedded STT-MRAM in 40 nm CMOS. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers, San Francisco, 2013. 216–217

  37. Holcomb D E, Burleson W P, Fu K. Initial SRAM state as a fingerprint and source of true random numbers for RFID tags. In: Proceedings of the Conference on RFID Security, 2007

  38. Su Y, Holleman J, Otis B. A 1.6 pJ/bit 96% stable chip-ID generating circuit using process variations. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers (ISSCC), San Francisco, 2007. 406–611

  39. Maes R, Tuyls P, Verbauwhede I. Intrinsic PUFs from flip-flops on reconfigurable devices. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Benelux Workshop on Information and System Security (WISSec 2008), 2008

  40. Adames I A B, Das J, Bhanja S. Survey of emerging technology based physical unclonable funtions. In: Proceedings of International Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (GLSVLSI), Boston, 2016. 317–322

  41. Piccinini E, Rudan M, Brunetti R. Implementing physical unclonable functions using PCM arrays. In: Proceedings of International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices (SISPAD), Kamakura, 2017. 269–272

  42. Zhang J, Guo Z, Zhang S, et al. Spin-orbit torque-based reconfigurable physically unclonable functions. Appl Phys Lett, 2020, 116: 192406

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61674062, 61904060, 61821003), in part by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. HUST: 2018KFYXKJC019), and in part by Research Project of Wuhan Science and Technology Bureau (Grant No. 2019010701011394).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Shuai Zhang, Jian Zhang, Shihao Li, Yaoyuan Wang, Zhenjiang Chen, Jeongmin Hong & Long You

Authors
  1. Shuai Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jian Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shihao Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yaoyuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zhenjiang Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jeongmin Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Long You
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Long You.

Additional information

Supporting information

Appendixes A–F. The supporting information is available online at info.scichina.com and link.springer.com. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

Supplementary File

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, S., Zhang, J., Li, S. et al. Reconfigurable physical unclonable cryptographic primitives based on current-induced nanomagnets switching. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 65, 122405 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-021-3270-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-021-3270-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation