Stimulus-Gated Neuromorphic Watermarking With 2D Siloxene-Based UV Synaptic Phototransistors for Next-Generation IC...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Neuromorphic Engineering
• Hardware Security

Background:

• Counterfeiting of integrated circuits (ICs) and intellectual property (IP) infringement are growing threats in electronics.
• Existing hardware watermarking methods are static, inflexible, and lack activation-level security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a dynamic, stimulus-gated neuromorphic watermarking strategy for enhanced hardware security.
• To provide a robust solution for anti-counterfeiting and IP protection in integrated circuits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized UV-triggered synaptic phototransistors based on 2D siloxene nanosheets.
• Emulated biological synaptic behavior to create a dynamic watermark unlocked by specific UV light parameters (intensity, duration, interval).
• Developed a deterministic excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC)-stimulus model linking optical input to synaptic current for reproducible logic-state transitions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a multi-layered activation-dependent security system through precisely controlled UV light parameters, kept as manufacturer secrets.
• Achieved reproducible logic-state transitions via the developed EPSC-stimulus model.
• Showcased the flexible transistor array architecture's suitability for integration into wearable electronics.

Conclusions:

• Established an experimentally validated neuromorphic-based security paradigm in the time domain with stimulus-gated concealment.
• Provided a watermarking scheme functioning as both an ownership identifier and an anti-counterfeiting primitive for next-generation secure electronics.
• Pioneered a flexible and secure hardware watermarking solution leveraging 2D materials and neuromorphic principles.