Scientists have devised several ways to categorize defects and minimize their impact, tailored to the structure of the transistor under study. Or they could be atomic impurities that trap electrons in the material. These defects could be broken chemical bonds in the transistor material. In the off position, representing the "0" of binary logic, current ceases to flow.ĭefects in a transistor can interfere with the reliable flow of current and significantly degrade the performance of transistors. In the on position, which represents the "1" of binary digital information, a designated amount of current flows from one side of a semiconductor to the other. The ability to manipulate individual spins has applications in both basic research and quantum engineering and computing. Researchers could also use the new capability to detect and manipulate a property in each electron known as quantum spin. 76.The new, modified charge pumping technique can detect single defects as small as the diameter of a hydrogen atom (one-tenth of a billionth of a meter) and can indicate where they're located in the transistor.
But hiding the transistor type using a material like black phosphorus - a material as thin as an atom - requires fewer transistors, taking up less space and power in addition to creating a better disguise.įor more information, contact Kayla Wiles at This email address is being protected from spambots. The new camouflaging method would be building a security key into the transistors.Ĭurrent camouflaging techniques always require more transistors in order to hide what's going on in the circuit. While camouflaging is already a security measure that chip manufacturers use, it is typically done at the circuit level and doesn't attempt to obscure the functionality of individual transistors - leaving the chip potentially vulnerable to reverse-engineering hacking techniques with the right tools. When a voltage toggles the transistors’ type, they appear exactly the same to a hacker. Camouflaging the transistors by fabricating them from a material such as black phosphorus makes it impossible to know which transistor is which. If these two transistor types appeared identical upon inspection, a hacker wouldn't be able to reproduce a chip by reverse-engineering the circuit. But because they are distinctly different, the right tools could clearly identify them, allowing a hacker to go backwards, find out what each individual circuit component is doing, and then reproduce the chip. Replicating the chip would begin with identifying these transistors. When a voltage is applied, two distinct types of transistors - an N type and a P type - perform a computation. How chip manufacturers choose to make this transistor design compatible with their processes would determine the availability of this level of security.Ī chip computes using millions of transistors in a circuit. The approach would increase security on a more fundamental level. Researchers also are developing x-ray imaging techniques that wouldn't require actually touching a chip to reverse-engineer it.
Reverse-engineering chips is a common practice both for hackers and companies investigating intellectual property infringement. This built-in security measure would prevent hackers from getting enough information about the circuit to reverse-engineer it. Engineers have demonstrated a way to disguise which transistor is which by building them out of a sheet-like material called black phosphorus. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IndianaĪ hacker can reproduce a circuit on a chip by discovering what key transistors are doing in a circuit - but not if the transistor type is undetectable.