The Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) acts as a device fingerprint: it exploits the random variations of the process parameters to generate a per chip unique value; these variations being unpredictable, so are the generated values. PUFs are, by nature, impossible to clone, hardened against reverse-engineering and remarkably resistant to invasive attacks.
The main challenge with PUF is to ensure repeatability across voltage, temperature and aging. Based on a recently patented principle, Invia’s PUF is stable enough to generate cryptographic keys, thus guarantying ultimate physical protection, while maintaining area and power overheads to unmatched levels.