| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S42897/01 |
| Title: |
Secure Systems using Polysilicon TFTs on Polymer Substrates |
| Principal Investigator: |
Moore, Professor S |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Computer Science and Technology |
| Organisation: |
University of Cambridge |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 2003 |
Ends: |
30 September 2006 |
Value (£): |
331,672
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Electronic Devices & Subsys. |
VLSI Design |
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Electronics |
Financial Services |
| Retail |
|
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
Inline with Kerckhoffs' principle, the security of consumer electronic devices typlically involves keeping the key secret, so extracting the key should be economically unattractive. Current silicon devices are so robust that chemical and mechanical attacks are relatively easy. They are also planar which makes them vulnerable to optical and mechanical probing from the top and bottom. Recent developments in polysilicon transistor technology allows us to construct a multilayered device, with an active defence grid of sensors enveloping the cryptographic functions. The polysilicon layers can be deposited on a polymer substrate that forms the case of the device. Thus, we believe that the device will be very hard to depackage and will be highly resistant to attack during operation. There are numerous design challenges to overcome: from the design of sensors which form part of the defence grid, through to digital circuits which are tolerant to the wide variation of transistor performance (due to the large variation in Vt) associated with polysilicon TFT technology, whilst minimising data dependent power emissions which can leak secret information. We also need to further the technology for security analysis of hardware devices.
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
http://www.cam.ac.uk |