Physical unclonable functions on carbon fiber reinforced polymers using laser techniques

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Security Engineering

Background:

• Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are essential for secure device authentication.
• Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) offer unique topological randomness suitable for PUF fabrication.
• Existing PUF technologies face challenges in cost-effective, large-scale manufacturing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize novel PUFs on CFRP substrates.
• To leverage computer-generated holograms (CGHs) for unique PUF generation.
• To validate the anti-cloning capabilities of CFRP-based PUFs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of CGH patterns on CFRP using a UV ns laser system.
• Analysis of topological randomness and laser absorption for unique feature generation.
• Evaluation of PUF uniqueness using probability of cloning (POC) metrics.
• Development of a digital reconstruction method for CGH image analysis.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated unique CGH-based PUFs on CFRP.
• Achieved exceptionally low probability of cloning (POC) values (< 10^-7).
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of the novel digital reconstruction methodology for PUF evaluation.
• Confirmed that CFRP's inherent properties combined with laser engraving yield highly secure PUFs.

Conclusions:

• CFRP is a viable and promising substrate for fabricating highly secure PUFs.
• Laser-engraved CGHs on CFRP offer a cost-effective and industrially scalable solution for anti-counterfeiting.
• The developed evaluation methodology provides a robust approach for assessing PUF security.