Kernel-based response extraction approach for efficient configurable ring oscillator PUF.

Area of Science:

• Hardware security primitives
• Integrated circuit design
• Cybersecurity for IoT devices

Background:

• Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) offer lightweight security solutions using manufacturing variations for key generation.
• Resource constraints in IoT devices limit the applicability of traditional PUF designs.
• Configurable Ring Oscillator (CRO) PUFs present a promising avenue for hardware security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel response extraction approach for CRO PUFs to reduce area and power consumption.
• To develop a resource-efficient CRO PUF suitable for constrained IoT environments.
• To enhance the security and uniqueness of PUF-generated keys.

Main Methods:

• A kernel-based response extraction method exploiting phase shift and RO frequency was developed.
• A new CRO PUF design variant was created, eliminating redundant Ring Oscillators (ROs).
• The PUF was implemented in 22-nm FDSOI technology and tested using Challenge-Response Pairs (CRPs) from 8 chips.

Main Results:

• The proposed PUF achieved an 86% reduction in area and a 65.1% reduction in power consumption compared to state-of-the-art designs.
• Security metrics showed 49.42% uniformity, 38.25% diffuseness, 9.95% IntraHD, and 45.5% uniqueness.
• The PUF passed 12 NIST tests with an average machine learning model prediction accuracy of 65.3%.

Conclusions:

• The novel response extraction method and CRO PUF design significantly improve resource efficiency for IoT security.
• The proposed PUF demonstrates strong security characteristics, qualifying as a robust hardware security primitive.
• This work provides a viable solution for implementing secure and lightweight authentication in resource-constrained devices.