Deactivation of integrated circuits
View Patent ↗Integrated circuits and methods of permanently disabling integrated circuits are disclosed. An integrated circuit having an erasable non-volatile memory adapted to store an activation code and logic to disable the integrated circuit when the code in the erasable non-volatile memory has been altered or erased after it has been separated from a substrate, is placed into an electromagnetic field of sufficient power to erase or reprogram the erasable non-volatile memory. The entire integrated circuit is permanently disabled by erasing, altering, or reprogramming the erasable non-volatile memory. In preferred embodiments, the integrated circuit comprises a non-erasable non-volatile memory storing the activation code, and circuitry adapted to permanently disable the integrated circuit when the code in the erasable non-volatile memory does not match the activation code in the non-erasable non-volatile memory. Erasing, altering, or reprogramming the erasable non-volatile memory results in a mismatch of the non-volatile memories, which permanently deactivates the integrated circuit.
1. A method of permanently disabling a wireless transponder or a RFID device, comprising:
a) instructing the wireless transponder or RFID device to erase or reprogram a programmable non-volatile memory, the wireless transponder or RFID device having (i) a non-changeable non-volatile memory storing an activation code, (ii) a changeable non-volatile memory adapted to store a duplicate copy of the activation code, and (iii) logic to disable the entire wireless transponder or RFID device when the code in the changeable non-volatile memory has been changed or erased after an integrated circuit corresponding to the wireless transponder or RFID device is separated from a substrate; and
b) permanently disabling the wireless transponder or RFID device by erasing or reprogramming the changeable non-volatile memory such that the activation code in the changeable non-volatile memory does not directly or logically match the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the changeable non-volatile memory is an EEPROM.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transponder or RFID device further comprises logic adapted to determine whether the changeable non-volatile memory matches the code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein less than 1 mW of power is consumed to permanently disable the wireless transponder or RFID device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transponder or RFID device is wirelessly disabled.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the wireless transponder or RFID device is wirelessly disabled at a distance of greater than 10 cm.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the wireless transponder or RFID device is wirelessly disabled at a distance of greater than 10 cm and with a transmitter power of 1 W or less.
8. The method of claim 1 , comprising wirelessly instructing the wireless transponder or RFID device to erase or reprogram the programmable non-volatile memory.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a silicon wafer.
10. An A wireless transponder or RFID device, comprising:
a) a non-changeable non-volatile memory storing an activation code;
b) a changeable non-volatile memory adapted to store a duplicate copy of the activation code;
c) circuitry adapted to erase or modify the changeable non-volatile memory when the wireless transponder or RFID device is instructed by a reader to erase or modify the changeable non-volatile memory; and
d) circuitry adapted to permanently disable one or more operating functions of the wireless transponder or RFID device when, after an integrated circuit corresponding to the wireless transponder or RFID device is separated from a substrate, the code in the changeable non-volatile memory does not directly or logically match the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
11. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , further comprising circuitry adapted to program the changeable non-volatile memory with the activation code.
12. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , wherein the integrated circuit is (i) functional when the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory matches the code in the changeable non-volatile memory and (ii) non-functional when the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory does not directly match the code in the changeable non-volatile memory.
13. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , further comprising power and data busses, the power and data busses configured to test the integrated circuit when probed by an integrated circuit tester.
14. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 13 , wherein each of the power and data busses comprise a diffusion layer or a polysilicon layer in a single crystal silicon substrate.
15. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , wherein the changeable non-volatile memory comprises an EEPROM.
16. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , further comprising a comparator configured to determine whether the code stored in the changeable non-volatile memory matches the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
17. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises one or more RFID function blocks.
18. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 17 , further comprising circuitry adapted to permanently disable one or more of the one or more RFID function blocks when the changeable non-volatile memory does not directly match the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
19. The wireless transponder or RFID device of claim 10 , wherein the substrate includes a cluster of integrated circuits formed thereon, the cluster further comprising common power and data busses configured to test the integrated circuits when probed by an integrated circuit tester.
20. The cluster of claim 19 , wherein the substrate comprises a single crystal silicon wafer, and each of the power and data busses comprise a diffusion layer in or a polysilicon layer on the single crystal silicon wafer.
21. A cluster of integrated circuits on a substrate, each integrated circuit corresponding to a wireless transponder or a RFID device, and the cluster comprising scribe lines for separating the integrated circuits from the substrate, each integrated circuit in the cluster comprising:
a) a non-programmable non-volatile memory adapted to store an activation code;
b) a programmable non-volatile memory adapted to store a duplicate copy of the activation code;
and
c) logic to permanently disable the integrated circuit when the contents of the programmable non-volatile memory are altered or erased after separation from the substrate and when the contents of the programmable non-volatile memory do not directly or logically match the contents of the non-programmable non-volatile memory.
22. The cluster of claim 21 , wherein the cluster further comprises common power and data busses configured to test the integrated circuits when probed by an integrated circuit tester.