KR101442401B1 - Apparatus and method for generating physically unclonable function - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus of generating a physically unclonable function (PUF) through a photolithography process. According to an embodiment, the apparatus includes a light source which emits light exposed to a photoresist mounted on an inter-layer, and a driver which drives the light source. The driver adjusts at least one parameter related to an exposure process and generates the PUF according to whether or not the photoresist is completely developed up to the inter-layer in a development process after the exposure process.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING PHYSICALLY UNCLONABLE FUNCTION [0002]

And more particularly to an apparatus and method for controlling a photolithography process of a semiconductor process to generate a PUF.

A Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) can provide an unpredictable digital value. Although the individual PUFs are given an exact manufacturing process and are manufactured in the same process, the digital values provided by the individual PUFs are different.

The PUF may be referred to as a physical one-way function practically impossible to duplicated (POWF).

The characteristics of this PUF may be used to generate cryptographic keys for security and / or authentication. For example, a PUF can be used to provide a unique key to distinguish devices from one another.

Korean Patent No. 10-1139630 (hereinafter referred to as " 630 patent ") discloses a method for implementing PUF. The '630 patent discloses a method for stochastically determining whether an inter-layer contact or via is formed between conductive layers of a semiconductor using process variation of a semiconductor .

According to one aspect, there is provided an apparatus for generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithographic process.

The apparatus according to one embodiment may further include a light source emitting light exposed to the photoresist deposited on the inter-layer in an exposing light process associated with the process; And a driver for driving the light source.

According to one embodiment, the driver adjusts at least one parameter related to the exposure process to adjust the at least one parameter in accordance with whether the photoresist is completely developed to the inter- PUF can be generated.

According to one embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise an amount of light of the light. In this embodiment, the driver can adjust the at least one parameter so that the light amount of the light is smaller than the critical light amount, which is an amount of light that causes the photoresist to be completely developed to the inter-layer layer in the developing process.

According to another embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise the wavelength of the light. In this embodiment, the driver can adjust the at least one parameter such that the wavelength of the light is longer than the critical wavelength, which is the wavelength limiting the diffraction level so that the photoresist is completely developed to the inter- have.

According to yet another embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise an exposure time to expose the light to the photoresist. In this embodiment, the driver may be configured such that the exposure time of the light is smaller than the critical time, which is the time for exposing the light to the photoresist in the exposure process so that the photoresist is completely developed to the inter- The at least one parameter may be adjusted.

According to one embodiment, the driver adjusts the at least one parameter so that the probability that the photoresist is completely developed to the inter-layer layer in the development process is greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value . Here, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are values between 0 and 1, and the first threshold value may be smaller than the second threshold value.

According to one embodiment, the photolithography process may be associated with a process of implanting an inter-layer contact or via into the inter-layer through the exposure process and the development process. In this case, success or failure of the implant may depend on whether or not the photoresist is completely developed to the inter-layer layer in the developing process (the success of the implant may depend on whether the photoresist has been fully developed to the inter-layer). The device may then generate a PUF that generates at least one digital value.

According to another aspect, an apparatus for generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process includes a light source emitting light exposed to a photoresist deposited on an inter-layer in an exposure process associated with the process; And a filter for filtering the light.

According to one embodiment, the filter may filter the light to generate the PUF depending on whether the photoresist is completely developed to the inter-layer layer during development after the exposure process.

According to one embodiment, the filter may filter the light to expose the photoresist to a light amount smaller than a critical light amount, which is an amount of light that causes the photoresist to be completely developed to the inter-layer layer during the developing process .

According to another embodiment, the filter may include at least one of wavelengths shorter than a critical wavelength which is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level so that the photoresist is completely developed to the interlayer layer in the developing process, The light can be filtered to block some.

According to another aspect, a method is provided in which a semiconductor generating device generates a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises exposing a photoresist deposited on an inter-layer; Developing the exposed photoresist; And etching the interlayer using the developed photoresist.

According to one embodiment, the apparatus may adjust at least one parameter associated with the exposing step such that in the etching step, whether or not the inter-layer is successfully etched may be determined at random. PUF can be generated by such randomness.

According to one embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise an amount of light associated with the exposing step. In this embodiment, the apparatus can adjust the at least one parameter such that the amount of light associated with the exposing step is less than a critical amount of light, which is an amount of light that causes the photoresist to fully develop to the inter-layer layer.

According to another embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise a wavelength of light associated with the exposing step. In this embodiment, the apparatus is further configured to adjust the at least one parameter so that the wavelength of light associated with the exposing step is longer than the critical wavelength, which is the wavelength limiting the diffraction level, such that the photoresist is fully developed to the inter- Can be adjusted.

According to yet another embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise an exposure time of the exposing step. In this embodiment, the apparatus may adjust the at least one parameter such that the exposure time is less than a critical time, which is the time for the photoresist to be fully developed to the inter-layer layer.

According to one embodiment, the at least one parameter may be determined so that in the developing step the probability that the photoresist is fully developed to the inter-layer layer is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value. Here, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are values between 0 and 1, and the first threshold value may be smaller than the second threshold value.

According to one embodiment, the photolithography process may be associated with a process of implanting an inter-layer contact or via into the inter-layer. In this embodiment, the success of the implant may depend on whether the photoresist is fully developed to the inter-layer layer. At least one digital value can be generated by this process.

According to another aspect, a method of generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process of a semiconductor generating apparatus includes filtering light emitted from a light source; Exposing the photoresist deposited on the inter-layer using the filtered light; And developing the exposed photoresist and etching the inter-layer.

According to one embodiment, the apparatus may generate the PUF by causing the filtering process to randomize the success or failure of at least one of the development process and the etching process.

According to one embodiment, the filtering may include filtering the light to expose the photoresist to a light amount smaller than a critical light amount, which is an amount of light that causes the photoresist to be completely developed to the inter- .

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the filtering step may include a step of filtering the wavelength included in the light, which is shorter than a critical wavelength which is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level so that the photoresist is completely developed to the inter- The light can be filtered to block at least a portion of the light.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to one embodiment.
2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a PUF generation process according to an embodiment.
Figure 3 illustrates diffraction level adjustment according to one embodiment.
4 shows the light amount adjustment according to one embodiment.
FIG. 5 illustrates exposure time adjustment according to one embodiment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a process of performing filtering in an exposure process according to an embodiment.
FIG. 7 illustrates a case where a photoresist is completely developed in a PUF generation process according to an embodiment, and a via is successfully implanted.
FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the photoresist is not completely developed during the PUF generation process according to an embodiment, and vias are not successfully implanted.
FIG. 9 illustrates a method of generating a PUF according to an embodiment.
FIG. 10 shows a method of generating a PUF according to another embodiment.

In the following, some embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is not limited or limited by these embodiments. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 according to one embodiment.

The device 100 may generate a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithographic process.

According to one embodiment, the photolithography process is performed in a process of implanting a contact or via made of a conductive material into an inter-layer deposited on a first conductive layer .

Of course, this is only an example, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in addition to the process of implanting vias between conductive layers, embodiments can be applied to various other processes of a semiconductor circuit. Thus, the following describes the photolithography process associated with via formation, but it should not be understood that other processes are excluded.

Although there are positive lithography and negative lithography in such a photolithography process, the difference between them is obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art.

Therefore, for ease of explanation, embodiments related to positive lithography will be described below. Embodiments related to negative lithography will not be directly referred to, because embodiments of negative lithography can be easily deduced by only adjusting the parameters to be described below.

Meanwhile, the interlayer may be understood as an insulative material that can be etched during the photolithography process. For example, the inter-layer may be a silicon nitride film or a silicon-oxide film. However, the kind of the inter-layer can be selected as a different material depending on the type of the process.

The process according to the above embodiment will be described in more detail. And a photoresist (also referred to as 'PR') is seated on the interlayer. Such photoresist may be soft baking (or soft baking or pre-baking), if desired.

And an Exposing Light on PR process can be performed.

The exposure process may include emit light with a mask printed by the light source 120 according to the pattern of the contact or via. The light may be, for example, UV (UltraViolet) light. However, this is merely an example, and other light may be selected depending on the process, such as X-ray, E-beam, Extreme UltraViolet, and the like.

According to one embodiment, the driver 110 drives the light source 120 to perform the exposure process.

In a typical photolithography process in which contacts or vias are implanted into the inter-layer, sufficient exposure is performed to the PR. A typical photolithography process is intended to allow the PR to be fully developed and etched according to the designed mask pattern so that the implant can be successfully performed.

However, according to one embodiment, the driver 110 adjusts at least one parameter associated with this exposure process so that it is randomly determined whether or not the implant is successfully performed.

For example, a mask pattern is printed so that vias are implanted in the inter-layer, which may or may not be implanted by adjusting the exposure process. Such implant success can be random, so that such random process failures can be used to generate random digital values.

Thus, according to one embodiment, a PUF can be generated that provides a random and time-invariant digital value.

The adjustment of the at least one parameter may be explained by various embodiments.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the at least one parameter may comprise an Intensity I of the light used for exposure. In this embodiment, the light adjuster 111 of the driver 110 may adjust I to a value less than the process parameter Ic that ensures implant success.

The process parameter Ic may be a critical intensity of light exposed on PR that allows sufficient exposure from the mask side surface of the PR to the inter-layer side surface to allow the PR to be fully developed to the inter- have.

Such an embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the at least one parameter may include a wavelength? Of the light. In this embodiment, the light adjuster 111 of the driver 110 may adjust λ to a value longer than the process parameter lambda c to ensure implant success.

In this embodiment, the process parameter lambda c may be a Critical Wave length of Light exposed on PR, by limiting the diffraction level of the light so that sufficient exposure occurs from the mask side surface of the PR to the inter-layer side surface. When light having the critical wavelength? C is used, PR can be completely developed up to the inter-layer layer. However, by using light having a longer wavelength?, The diffraction level is not appropriately limited so that the PR is insufficiently developed will be.

Such an embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment, the at least one parameter may include an exposure time t for exposing the light to the photoresist. In this embodiment, the time adjustment unit 112 of the driver 110 may adjust t to a value less than the process parameter tc that ensures implant success.

The process parameter tc may be a critical time for exposing Light on PR, which is an exposure time that allows PR to be fully developed to the inter-layer layer, by sufficiently exposing the surface of the PR to the inter- have.

Such an embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

As can be understood from the above-described embodiments, insufficient exposure and / or insufficient phenomena may occur due to such parameter adjustment. By adjusting the parameters appropriately, you can adjust the ratio of when the PR is exposed and developed sufficiently and if it is not.

According to one embodiment, the parameter for such adjustment may be determined by subtracting or increasing at least some of the parameters from the threshold value (Ic,? C, tc, etc.) ), It can be determined by checking whether the development of the PR occurs at random. By applying the determined process parameter values to the photoresist performance, the PUF can be fabricated.

Illustratively, the driver 110 may adjust the at least one parameter such that in the developing process the probability that the photoresist is fully developed to the inter-layer layer is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold. Here, it can be understood that the closer the probability is to 0.5, the higher the randomness of the PUF produced by the embodiments.

Here, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are values between 0 and 1, and the first threshold value may be smaller than the second threshold value.

In the above, embodiments in which the driver 110 adjusts at least one parameter in the process of driving the light source 120 have been described. However, according to another aspect of the present invention, filtering of light may be performed instead or in parallel .

According to this aspect, the apparatus 100 may include a filter 130 that filters the light emanating from the light source 120.

The filter may filter the light emanating from the light source 120, resulting in insufficient exposure of PR and / or insufficient phenomena.

According to one embodiment, the filter 130 may filter the light to make the amount of light I transmitted to the PR smaller than the critical amount of light Ic. In this embodiment, even if the light source 120 emits light with a light amount Ic or more, the amount of light transmitted to the resultant PR by blocking the at least part of the light emitted by the filter 130 may be smaller than Ic. Thus resulting in insufficient exposure and / or insufficient development of the PR.

According to another embodiment, the filter 130 may filter the light so that the wavelength? Of the light transmitted to the PR is longer than the threshold wavelength? C. In this embodiment, the filter 130 may block at least a portion of the wavelength band of the light emitted by the light source 120 that is shorter than the critical wavelength? C.

Of course, according to another embodiment, the filter 130 may filter the light in at least a part of the time required for exposure to make the time t for exposure of PR smaller than the threshold time tc .

These embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a PUF generation process according to an embodiment.

2, which is related to an embodiment of positive lithography, UV is selectively transferred to the PR 220 through a mask 210 that includes a via pattern to be implanted. Of course, in this process, the condensing process by the lens may be included, but this process is omitted in order to maintain the simplicity of explanation.

When the PR 220 is sufficiently exposed to UV, the PR 220 undergoes a process of being sufficiently depolymerized to a portion in contact with the inter-layer 230. Then, when a hard baking process and an etching process are performed, the inter-layer 230 may be exposed to a solvent to be etched. In this case, it can be understood that a proper window is formed in the PR 220 to etch the inter-layer 230 thereby to normally implant the contact or via that enables electrical conduction to the metal 240. [

However, if the PR 220 is not sufficiently exposed to UV, the window described above may not be formed in the PR 220 or may be made in an insufficient size. Depending on the process, even if a window is formed on the PR 220, a contact or a via implant may be successful, but not always.

If there is no window in the PR 220, the contact or via implants may fail because the inter-layer 230 does not undergo etching. And if the windows in the PR 220 are small compared to the conventional process, the implant may fail or succeed depending on the process.

In any case, a random digital value can be electrically read by the implant if successful or not, up to the metal 240 layer. Thus, a PUF that provides a random time-invariant digital value can be implemented.

More detailed embodiments will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 8. Fig.

Figure 3 illustrates diffraction level adjustment according to one embodiment.

The light passing through the mask may be diffracted to be divided into 0-order light, + 1-order light, -1-order light, + 2-order light, and -2-order light. Some of these various orders of light are focused on the PR by the lens, and the exposure of the PR can be adjusted by adjusting the diffraction level.

1, the diffraction level is determined as d1 and the peak intensity of the light is sufficiently high that the PR undergoes sufficient exposure (CASE 310). However, if lambda 2 longer than the critical wavelength lambda c is selected, the diffraction level is determined to be d2, so that the peak intensity of the light is not sufficiently high and the PR may not experience sufficient exposure (CASE 320).

Then the phenomenon and etching may or may not result in a window in the PR.

If lambda 3 longer than lambda 2 is selected, then the diffraction level is determined to be d3 and the PR will experience a more insufficient exposure, resulting in a higher probability that windows will not occur (CASE 330).

According to one embodiment, by choosing the wavelength λ appropriately, such as lambda 2, in some cases a window will be created in the PR and in some cases no window will be created in the PR, resulting in random implant success.

4 shows the light amount adjustment according to one embodiment.

If I3 equal to or greater than the critical light amount Ic described with reference to FIG. 1 is selected, the PR can be developed through sufficient exposure (CASE 430). However, if I2, which is smaller than Ic, is selected by decreasing the quantity of light I, the PR may not experience sufficient exposure (CASE 420).

Then the phenomenon and etching may or may not result in a window in the PR.

If I1, which is smaller than I2, is selected, the PR will experience more insufficient exposure, which increases the probability that windows will not occur (CASE 410).

According to one embodiment, by appropriately selecting the amount of light I, such as I2, in some cases a window may be created in the PR, and in some cases no windows may be created in the PR, resulting in random implant success.

This random implant success may be performed by the exposure time as described above.

FIG. 5 illustrates exposure time adjustment according to one embodiment.

When PR is applied to PR for a time t3 equal to or greater than the threshold time tc described with reference to FIG. 1, the PR can be developed through sufficient exposure (CASE 530). However, if t2, which is less than tc, is selected by decreasing the exposure time t, the PR may not experience sufficient exposure (CASE 520).

Then the phenomenon and etching may or may not result in a window in the PR.

If PR is applied to PR for t1, which is shorter than t2, PR is subjected to more insufficient exposure, which increases the probability that window will not occur (CASE 510).

According to one embodiment, selecting such an exposure time t appropriately, such as t2, may in some cases result in a window in the PR and in some cases no windows in the PR, resulting in random implant success.

Meanwhile, the degree of exposure may be adjusted by filtering by the filter 130 in addition to the adjustment of the driver 110 by?, I, and t according to the above embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process of performing filtering in an exposure process according to an embodiment.

The exemplary filter 610 may filter out the emissive UV to cause insufficient exposure of the PR. According to the illustrated example, it can be understood that the filter 610 filters the UV, and a light amount smaller than the light amount I of the emit UV is delivered to the PR.

Of course, such filtering of UV may be to block at least part of the component of the wavelength? Of the light at or below the critical wavelength? C, or may block UV at least part of the time period during which UV is irradiated in the exposure process.

In any way, the filter 610 can make the exposure and / or development of the PR insufficient than in the conventional process, so that the success or failure of the implant can be randomly generated.

The probabilities of success or failure of the implant by the developing process and the etching process will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8. FIG.

FIG. 7 illustrates a case where a photoresist is completely developed in a PUF generation process according to an embodiment, and a via is successfully implanted.

In section 710 it is verified that the PR has undergone sufficient exposure. The inter-layer can then be etched sufficiently under the development and etching process, and these results are shown in cross-sectional views 720 to 740.

A sufficient etch of the inter-layer has created holes in which vias can be implanted, as shown in plan view 741.

In section 750, it can be seen that the vias are implanted between the metal layers. In this case, the metal layers can become electrically identical nodes by the implanted vias. Therefore, the digital value can be determined to be '0' by an electrical reading as an example.

FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the photoresist is not completely developed during the PUF generation process according to an embodiment, and vias are not successfully implanted.

In section 810 it is confirmed that the PR has not undergone sufficient exposure. The etch of the inter-layer may then not be generated, as shown through the cross-sectional views 820 to 840, and the plan view 841. Hence, unlike the example of FIG. 7, holes were not created in which inter-layer vias could be implanted.

Vias are not implanted between the metal layers as in the cross-sectional view 850, so that they do not become electrically the same node. Therefore, the digital value may be determined to be " 1 "

By appropriately adjusting the parameters as described above, the case of FIG. 7 and the case of FIG. 8 can be randomly generated, and a PUF capable of providing a random time-invariant digital value can be generated by this method .

On the other hand, in the exemplary case described with reference to FIG. 8, a case where PR is not sufficiently exposed as in the sectional view 810, no holes are generated in the plan view 841, or other cases other than FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 may occur.

For example, in some cases, the PR may be developed to the inter-layer layer similar to the sectional view 710 of FIG. 7, but may be insufficient in size.

In this case, the size of the hole through which the interlayer is exposed after the PR is etched in the cross-sectional view 720 may be smaller than that in the case of FIG. 7, so that the inter-layer can not be completely etched out to the metal layer during the etching process, .

The result is that the vias can not reach the metal layer, and the result of the electrical readout can be a digital value of '0'.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of generating a PUF according to an embodiment.

In step 910, the driver 110 adjusts at least one parameter associated with a PR exposure light to enable PUF generation as described above. Since the degree of adjustment of these parameters can be experimentally determined in advance for a particular process, this process may be understood as parameter determination.

According to one embodiment, the parameter may be the wavelength? Of the light used for exposure. In this case, in step 910, this? Can be determined to be an appropriate value longer than the above critical wavelength? C, such as? 2 described in FIG. The details of this embodiment are as described above with reference to Figs.

According to another embodiment, the parameter may be the amount of light I used for exposure. In this case, in step 910, this I may be determined to be an appropriate value smaller than the above critical light amount Ic, such as I2 described in FIG. Details of this embodiment are as described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 4. Fig.

According to another embodiment, the parameter may be the exposure time t. In this case, in step 910, this t may be determined to be an appropriate value shorter than the above-mentioned critical time tc, such as t2 described in FIG. The details of this embodiment are as described above with reference to Figs.

Various other embodiments are possible, and step 910 can be the determination and adjustment of any parameters that contribute to the degree to which the PR is exposed and developed.

UV is then imaged in step 920, and in step 930 the PR is subjected to an exposure that may be less than normal. Then, at least one failure of the PR phenomenon, the inter-layer etch, etc. occurs randomly. Therefore, the PUF can be generated as described above.

On the other hand, the degree of exposure of the PR can be adjusted instead of and / or in parallel with such parameter adjustment by filtering with the filter 130 in Fig.

FIG. 10 shows a method of generating a PUF according to another embodiment.

If the UV is emitted to the mask in step 1010, then in step 1020 a filter 130 or 610 may filter the emissive UV.

The process of performing the filtering in step 1020 has been described with reference to FIG. 6, and referring to FIG. 6, it may include any process of filtering the emissive UV to cause insufficient exposure of the PR.

Illustratively, step 1010 may include reducing the amount of light so that a smaller amount of light I of the emitted UV is delivered to the PR. Also illustratively, it may be to block at least part of the component of the wavelength? C of the light at or below the critical wavelength? C, or may block the UV at least part of the time period during which UV is irradiated in the exposure process. More details are as described above with reference to Figs. 1 and 6.

If the step 1030 of the process of exposing the PR to UV after the filtering step 1020 is performed, it is possible to generate the PUF by insufficient exposure and development of the PR as described in Fig.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA) A programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (24)

An apparatus for generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process, the apparatus comprising:
A light source emitting light exposed to the photoresist deposited on the interlayer disposed above the metal layer in an exposure process associated with the process; And
A driver for driving the light source
Lt; / RTI >
The driver may adjust at least one parameter associated with the exposure process to determine whether the photoresist has a window of a first size for a complete etch of the inter-layer layer during development after the exposure process Thereby generating the PUF,
Wherein the driver generates a PUF that drives the light source such that whether the photoresist has a window of the first size is determined at random. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an amount of light of the light,
Wherein the driver generates the PUF to adjust the at least one parameter such that the light amount of the light is smaller than the critical light amount that is the amount of light such that the photoresist has the window of the first size in the developing process. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises a wavelength of the light,
The driver generates a PUF that adjusts the at least one parameter such that the wavelength of the light is longer than a critical wavelength that is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level such that the photoresist has a window of the first magnitude Device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an exposure time to expose the light to the photoresist,
Wherein the driver is configured to cause the photoresist to have a window of the first size in the developing process so that the exposure time of the light is less than a critical time that is the time of exposing the light to the photoresist in the exposure process, To adjust the parameters of the PUF. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the driver adjusts the at least one parameter so that the probability that the photoresist has the window of the first size in the development process is greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, And the second threshold value is a value between 0 and 1, and the first threshold value is less than the second threshold value. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the photolithography process is associated with implanting an inter-layer contact or via into the inter-layer through the exposure process and the developing process,
Wherein the developing process depends on whether the photoresist has the window of the first size and whether the implant is successful, thereby generating at least one digital value. An apparatus for generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process, the apparatus comprising:
A light source emitting light exposed to the photoresist deposited on the interlayer disposed above the metal layer in an exposure process associated with the process; And
A filter for filtering the light
Lt; / RTI >
The filter filters the light to cause the PUF to be generated according to whether the photoresist has a first size window for complete etching of the inter-layer layer during development after the exposure process,
Wherein the filter generates a PUF such that whether the photoresist has a window of the first magnitude is determined at random. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the filter is configured to filter the light to expose the photoresist to an amount of light smaller than a critical amount of light that is the amount of light that causes the photoresist to have the window of the first size in the developing process. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the filter is configured to filter the light to block at least part of a wavelength shorter than a critical wavelength which is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level so that the photoresist has the window of the first size, A device for generating a PUF to filter. A method of generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process, the method comprising:
Exposing a photoresist deposited on the inter-layer disposed above the metal layer;
Developing the exposed photoresist; And
Etching the inter-layer using the developed photoresist < RTI ID = 0.0 >
Lt; / RTI >
The apparatus may adjust at least one parameter associated with the exposing step to generate a PUF that generates the PUF by randomly determining whether the inter-layer is successfully etched in the etching step . 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an amount of light associated with the exposing step,
The apparatus may further comprise means for adjusting the at least one parameter such that the amount of light associated with the exposing step is less than a critical amount of light that is an amount of light such that the photoresist has a window of a first size for complete etching of the inter- How to Generate a PUF. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises a wavelength of light associated with the exposing step,
The apparatus may further include a photoresist layer that is formed over the photoresist layer so that the wavelength of light associated with the exposing step is longer than a critical wavelength that is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level such that the photoresist has a window of a first size for complete etching of the inter- A method for generating a PUF that coordinates at least one parameter. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an exposure time of the exposing step,
The apparatus is further programmed to determine the at least one parameter such that the exposure time is less than a critical time which is the time for the photoresist to expose the photoresist to have a window of a first size for a complete etch of the inter- How to generate PUF tuning. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the at least one parameter is determined such that in the developing step the probability that the photoresist has a window of first magnitude for complete etching of the inter-layer layer is less than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value Wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are values between 0 and 1, and wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the photolithography process is associated with implanting an inter-layer contact or via into the inter-layer,
In the developing step, the success or failure of the implant depends on whether the photoresist has a first size window for complete etching of the inter-layer layer, thereby generating a PUF from which at least one digital value is generated Way. A method of generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process, the method comprising:
Filtering the emitted light from the light source;
Exposing the photoresist deposited on the inter-layer disposed above the metal layer using the filtered light; And
Developing the exposed photoresist and etching the inter-layer
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the apparatus generates the PUF to generate the PUF by causing the filtering to randomize success or failure of at least one of the development and the etching. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the filtering is performed such that a light amount smaller than a critical light amount, which is an amount of light for causing the photoresist to have a window of a first size for complete etching of the inter-layer layer in the developing process, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > PUF < / RTI > 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the filtering is performed such that the photoresist has a window of a first size for complete etching of the inter-layer layer among the wavelengths included in the light, And filtering the light to block at least a portion of the short wavelength. An apparatus for generating a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) through a photolithography process, the apparatus comprising:
A light source emitting light exposed to the photoresist deposited on the interlayer disposed above the metal layer in an exposure process associated with the process; And
A driver for driving the light source
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the driver adjusts at least one parameter associated with the exposure process so that the photoresist in the development process after the exposure process has a first size window in which the complete etch of the inter- And generates the PUF based on whether the PUF is generated or not. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an amount of light of the light,
Wherein the driver generates the PUF to adjust the at least one parameter such that the light amount of the light is smaller than the critical light amount that is the amount of light such that the photoresist has the window of the first size in the developing process. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises a wavelength of the light,
The driver generates a PUF that adjusts the at least one parameter such that the wavelength of the light is longer than a critical wavelength that is a wavelength limiting the diffraction level such that the photoresist has a window of the first magnitude Device. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises an exposure time to expose the light to the photoresist,
Wherein the driver is configured to cause the photoresist to have a window of the first size in the developing process so that the exposure time of the light is less than a critical time that is the time of exposing the light to the photoresist in the exposure process, To adjust the parameters of the PUF. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the driver adjusts the at least one parameter so that the probability that the photoresist has the window of the first size in the development process is greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, And the second threshold value is a value between 0 and 1, and the first threshold value is less than the second threshold value. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the photolithography process is associated with implanting an inter-layer contact or via into the inter-layer through the exposure process and the developing process,
Wherein the developing process depends on whether the photoresist has the window of the first size and whether the implant is successful, thereby generating at least one digital value.

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