A data processing apparatus is provided for producing a randomized value. A cell in the data processing apparatus comprises a dielectric oxide layer and stress voltage circuitry is configured to apply a stress voltage across the dielectric oxide layer of the cell to cause an oxide breakdown process to occur. Oxide breakdown detection circuitry is configured to determine a current extent of the oxide breakdown process by measuring a response of the dielectric oxide layer to the stress voltage and randomized value determination circuitry is configured to determine a randomized value in dependence on the current extent of the oxide breakdown process.

Claims

30 · 3 independent · depth 6

30 granted claims

›1.independentThe data processing apparatus comprising:na cell comprising a dielectric oxide layer;stress voltage circuitry configured to apply a stress voltage acr…+27

›2.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said randomized value determination circuitry is configured to determine said randomized …d2+2

›5.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stress voltage circuitry is configured to remove said stress voltage from said diele…d2

›6.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide breakdown detection circuitry comprises a comparator configured to compare an …d2+2

›9.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of cells, each cell of said plurality of cells comprising said dielectric …d2+1

›11.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of cells, each cell of said plurality of cells comprising said dielectric …d2+12

›12.↳ 11The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said randomized value determination circuitry is configured to generate said randomized …d3

›13.↳ 11The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said stress voltage circuitry is configured to apply said stress voltage in time increme…d3+3

›17.↳ 11The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said stress voltage circuitry is configured to reapply said stress voltage for a predete…d3

›18.↳ 11The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said data processing apparatus further comprises cell reading circuitry configured to ap…d3+1

›20.↳ 11The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said oxide breakdown detection circuitry is configured to measure said response of said …d3+3

›24.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cell comprises a thin oxide capacitor.d2+1

›26.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide breakdown process comprises an irreversible change in the resistance of said d…d2

›27.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide breakdown process comprises a non-transient change in the resistance of said d…d2

›28.↳ 1The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide breakdown process comprises a non-transient change in the physical structure o…d2

›29.independentA method of generating a randomized value in a data processing apparatus comprising a cell comprising a dielectric oxide layer, the method comprising …

›30.independentA data processing apparatus comprising:na cell comprising a dielectric oxide layer;stress voltage means for applying a stress voltage across said diel…

Classifications

7 codes

IPC · International Patent Classification

Section G — Physics

G06F7/58

Section H — Electricity

H04L9/08
H04L9/00
H03K3/84

USPC · US Patent Classification

708/250708/255708/254

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Pendency

3.6 y

1,314 days filing → grant

Office actions

non-final + final

Responses

no RCE

Examiner

Michael D Yaary

art unit 2193 · TC 2100

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Citations: 19 back · 0 forward

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Priority chain

2 priority documents

Priority

3 Jun 2010

earliest claimed

›Priority documents — 2

Type	Document	Date
provisional	US 61351218	3 Jun 2010
related publication	US 20120030268 A1	2 Feb 2012

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