Simulation of NOR-Flash Memory Cells Focusing on Narrow Channel Effects on VTH Dispersion

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Kondo ◽  
Takahiro Nakauchi ◽  
Sanae Ito ◽  
Nobutoshi Aoki ◽  
Mitsutoshi Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flash Memory ◽  
Narrow Channel ◽  
Memory Cells ◽  
Channel Effects ◽  
Nor Flash

Microcontroller Fingerprinting Using Partially Erased NOR Flash Memory Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Prawar Poudel ◽  
Biswajit Ray ◽  
Aleksandar Milenkovic
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Flash Memory ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Process Variations ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Memory Cells ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Voltage Variation ◽  
Nor Flash

Electronic device fingerprints, unique bit vectors extracted from device's physical properties, are used to differentiate between instances of functionally identical devices. This article introduces a new technique that extracts fingerprints from unique properties of partially erased NOR flash memory cells in modern microcontrollers. NOR flash memories integrated in modern systems-on-a-chip typically hold firmware and read-only data, but they are increasingly in-system-programmable, allowing designers to erase and program them during normal operation. The proposed technique leverages partial erase operations of flash memory segments that bring them into the state that exposes physical properties of the flash memory cells through a digital interface. These properties reflect semiconductor process variations and defects that are unique to each microcontroller or a flash memory segment within a microcontroller. The article explores threshold voltage variation in NOR flash memory cells for generating fingerprints and describes an algorithm for extracting fingerprints. The experimental evaluation utilizing a family of commercial microcontrollers demonstrates that the proposed technique is cost-effective, robust, and resilient to changes in voltage and temperature as well as to aging effects.

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