Infra-red in-situ (IRIS) inspection of silicon
a day ago
- #Cryptography
- #Chip Inspection
- #Hardware Security
- Cryptography relies on secure elements, but verifying their trustworthiness is challenging.
- IRIS (Infra-Red, In Situ) inspection is introduced as a method to inspect chips non-destructively and in situ.
- Silicon is transparent to infrared light, allowing modified digital cameras to see through chips.
- IRIS is particularly effective with Wafer Level Chip Scale Packages (WLCSPs).
- The technique has limitations, resolving only micron-scale features, not nanometer-scale.
- IRIS can be combined with logic-level hardening to enhance chip integrity verification.
- Open-source chip design enhances IRIS's effectiveness by providing reference data.
- Future improvements to IRIS include better optics, image stitching, and active laser probing.
- IRIS is a step towards more trustworthy hardware, especially for high-assurance chips.