Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W42/00—Arrangements for protection of devices
  • H10W42/40—Arrangements for protection of devices protecting against tampering, e.g. unauthorised inspection or reverse engineering
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/073—Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/073—Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory
  • G06K19/07309—Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
  • G06K19/07372—Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers by detecting tampering with the circuit
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
  • G06K19/07745—Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W90/00—Package configurations
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10D—INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
  • H10D89/00—Aspects of integrated devices not covered by groups H10D84/00 - H10D88/00
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W72/00—Interconnections or connectors in packages
  • H10W72/851—Dispositions of multiple connectors or interconnections
  • H10W72/874—On different surfaces
  • H10W72/884—Die-attach connectors and bond wires
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W74/00—Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W90/00—Package configurations
  • H10W90/701—Package configurations characterised by the relative positions of pads or connectors relative to package parts
  • H10W90/751—Package configurations characterised by the relative positions of pads or connectors relative to package parts of bond wires
  • H10W90/754—Package configurations characterised by the relative positions of pads or connectors relative to package parts of bond wires between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a chip cover for the complete or partial covering of electrical, electronic, optoelectronic and / or electromechanical components of a chip.
• Such chip covers protect the covered areas of the chip from damage caused by mechanical force and environmental influences.
• the chip covers have hitherto been removable, for example by chemical methods (for example using smoking HNO3), so that a precise analysis of the chip circuit and / or manipulations of the chip chips can be carried out in a relatively simple manner. Circuit is possible.
• the chip cards or smart cards used in the pay-TV sector may be mentioned as an example of this. If a hacker succeeds in analyzing the chip circuit opening the access to a certain TV program with regard to the position and function of individual components and / or the course of the conductor tracks within the chip and to find possibilities by manipulating suitable bridges or the like, he can thereby be able to use a fee-based service free of charge.
• the present invention is therefore based on the object of developing the chip cover in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that third-party analyzes and / or manipulations of chips can be reliably prevented.
• an activator which, when activated, is capable of completely or partially destroying the electrical, electronic, optoelectronic and / or electromechanical components of the chip, and by attempting to remove the chip cover from the chip , can be activated.
• the figure shows two stacked chips, the security-relevant areas of which are covered by a chip cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It although a section is shown, hatching has been omitted for reasons of clarity.
• reference number 1 denotes a first chip without a housing in the form of a controller.
• the Siemens SLE 44C20 with ROM, PROM, EEPROM and RAM can be used as a controller.
• the first chip 1 is attached to a system carrier 3 by means of an adhesive 2.
• the system carrier 3 can be, for example, a plastic card for producing a chip card or smart card; however, it can also be a flexible printed circuit board or a so-called lead fra e.
• Conductor tracks 4 made of aluminum run on the upper surface of the first chip 1 according to the figure.
• the conductor tracks 4 are covered by a first chip cover layer in the form of a structured Si nitride (Si3N4) layer 5.
• This layer 5 serves to protect the chip against damage from environmental influences, in particular against damage from moisture and wetness.
• a second chip cover layer in the form of a polyimide layer 6 is provided above the Si3N4 layer 5.
• the polyimide layer 6 protects the underlying chip structures from mechanical damage.
• cutouts are provided at which contact points 7 made of aluminum (Al pads) are exposed.
• ASIC component customer-specific component
• the second chip 8 is glued to the previously mentioned polyimide layer 6 by means of an adhesive 9.
• the second chip 2 also has contact points 7 made of aluminum on its upper side according to the figure.
• the contact points of the first chip and the contact points of the second chip are connected to one another by bonding wires 10.
• the Globe Top 11 is made of epoxy resin.
• the first to third chip cover layers 5, 6 and 11 and the adhesives 2, 8 generally consist of materials which can be removed chemically.
• smoking HNO3 is suitable for this, since it destroys the chip cover, but not the conductor tracks 4 and contact points 7 made of aluminum.
• activators are provided in the chip cover above these areas.
• the security-relevant area which is to be protected against external analysis and manipulation is the controller chip 1 which is generally located below in the case of chips arranged one above the other. This area should also be the safety-relevant area in the present exemplary embodiment.
• the activator is a substance that is activated when it meets a substance that chemically dissolves the chip cover in the form of a solvent, an etching agent or the like, that is to say, for example, when it meets smoking HNO3.
• a substance with a reducing effect is released, which destroys chip structures made of aluminum, such as the conductor tracks 4, and thus makes external analysis and / or manipulation of the security-relevant chip areas impossible.
• the activator When not activated, the activator does not attack the chip.
• the activator is formed by RCI2.
• Free radicals are formed which, owing to their reducing character, destroy the aluminum structures lying under the chip cover.
• activators which release oxidizing substances when they meet HNO3, does not lead to the desired success here, because oxidizing substances only influence the aluminum structures until they are coated with an oxide layer, which then forms the aluminum structure gives a self-protection function and therefore does not lead to destruction of the aluminum structures.
• the activators designated by the reference numeral 12 in the figure can be provided above the security-sensitive area in window-like spaces or recesses which are exposed in the Si 3 4 layer 5 and / or in the polyimide layer 6 for this purpose; In the finished state of the chip card, smart card and the like, the activator is encased by the chip cover in these free spaces or recesses.
• the activator can also be inserted into the polyimide matrix.
• the position and location of the activator can be adapted to the changing requirements or the respective chips.
• the type of activator is preferably adapted to the chemical substances that are suitable for dissolving the chip cover, so that the desired activation of the activator reliably occurs when any solvent meets the activator.
• the effect of the activation can, however, be chosen as long as this only prevents the analysis and / or the manipulation of the chip.
• it could also be provided, for example, to destroy the chip by generating heat energy or the like.
• It can also be provided to provide several different activators, each of which reacts with different solvents in the manner intended, so that even the most varied types of solvents activate at least one activator each.
• a separate substance can be provided in the chip cover in the same way as the activator, which substance is capable of activating the activator as intended.
• the activator substance can thus be selected independently of the solvents in question, because when the chip cover is removed, both the activator and the substance which is intended to activate it are released.
• the provision of the activator described above in the chip cover enables the safety-relevant areas of the chip to be destroyed automatically if an attempt is made to make them accessible by removing the chip cover.
• the amount of activator to be provided is likewise extremely small with appropriate positioning.
• Another measure to increase security against third-party analysis and / or manipulation of chips is that the less security-relevant chip, ie in the present embodiment, the ASIC chip 2 exactly above the security-relevant area of the other chip, ie in the present embodiment exactly above the most security-relevant area of the controller chip 1 is arranged. In the absence of optical accessibility, this also prevents the possibility of being able to analyze and / or manipulate the chip without removing the cover.
• the exemplary embodiment described above concerned a so-called chip-on-chip-on-flex structure with chip-and-wire connection technology. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to such a structure, but can also be used with individual chips and with any number of arbitrarily arranged and arbitrarily connected chips.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
• Storage Device Security (AREA)
• Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (AREA)
• Structures Or Materials For Encapsulating Or Coating Semiconductor Devices Or Solid State Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7760323

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 1995
  • 1995-04-25 DE DE19515188A patent/DE19515188C2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1996
  • 1996-04-09 CN CNB961934808A patent/CN1135616C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-04-09 KR KR1019970707692A patent/KR100407042B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-04-09 RU RU97119080/28A patent/RU2164720C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1996-04-09 EP EP96908022A patent/EP0823129A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1996-04-09 WO PCT/DE1996/000616 patent/WO1996034409A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1996-04-09 JP JP8532078A patent/JPH11504164A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-04-16 IN IN692CA1996 patent/IN188645B/en unknown
  • 1996-09-04 UA UA97105206A patent/UA57704C2/uk unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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