Four-Dimensional Physical Unclonable Functions and Cryptographic Applications Based on Time-Varying Chaotic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Quantum Physics
• Information Security

Background:

• Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are crucial for authentication and cryptography in Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
• Existing optical PUFs face challenges in providing robust anti-counterfeiting measures.
• The need for novel, highly secure, and unclonable security primitives is paramount for IoT ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate four-dimensional PUFs (4D PUFs) utilizing time-varying chaotic phosphorescent randomness.
• To explore the potential of 4D PUFs for advanced authentication and cryptographic applications in IoT.
• To enhance the anti-counterfeiting capabilities of optical PUFs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 4D PUFs using MoS2 atomic seeds to achieve chaotic phosphorescent randomness.
• Creation of hybrid emitter states with distinct lifetimes to generate irregular lifetime distributions.
• Implementation of a bit extraction process using multiple 64-bit challenges for generating random responses.
• Conceptualization and demonstration of weak and strong PUF models based on 4D PUFs.

Main Results:

• Experimentally realized time-varying chaotic phosphorescent randomness in 4D PUFs.
• Generated countless random 896-bit responses from 4D PUFs.
• Achieved superior cryptological performances, including high randomness, uniqueness, and degree of freedom.
• Successfully demonstrated data encryption and decryption using a single 4D PUF.

Conclusions:

• 4D PUFs offer a novel approach to generating inherent, unclonable randomness for secure IoT applications.
• The unique time-varying disorder in 4D PUFs provides enhanced resistance against physical attacks and replication.
• 4D PUFs represent a significant advancement in optical PUF technology, offering a robust anticounterfeiting security strategy for IoT devices.