Researchers Create a Graphene-Based Physically Unclonable Function
Recently, researchers have created a physically unclonable function using graphene transistors which may help the semiconductor industry deploy graphene into future products. What is a physically unclonable function, what did the researchers create, and how could it help security of the future?
What is a physically unclonable function?
A Physically Unclonable Function, or PUF for short, is a piece of hardware that produces a unique output in a predictable manner but whose construction cannot be replicated. For example, a manufacturer could create 10 identical PUF units, but each one would produce a different output. Furthermore, no matter how hard an attacker tries to recreate a PUF, even if they had access to the original drawings and designs, they would never be able to recreate the output of a specific PUF.
Credit: National University of Singapore
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have invented a new method of anti-counterfeiting called DeepKey. Developed in just eight months, this security innovation uses two dimensional (2D)-material tags and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled authentication software.
Compared to conventional anti-counterfeiting technologies, DeepKey works faster, achieves highly accurate results, and uses durable identification tags that are not easily damaged by environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures, chemical spills, UV exposure, and moisture. This new authentication technology can be applied to different high-value products, ranging from drugs, jewelry, and electronics. For example, DeepKey is suitable for tagging COVID-19 vaccines to enable rapid and reliable authentication, as some of such vaccines need to be stored at the ultra-cold temperature of -70°C.
Anti-counterfeiting technology performs reliable AI authentication under extreme conditions techxplore.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from techxplore.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.