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 an integrated circuit, comprising:
a) instructing the integrated circuit to erase or reprogram a changeable non-volatile memory, the integrated circuit having (i) a non-changeable non-volatile memory adapted to store an activation code, (ii) the changeable non-volatile memory, adapted to store a duplicate copy of the activation code, and (iii) logic to disable one or more operating functions of the integrated circuit when the code in the changeable non-volatile memory has been changed or erased after the integrated circuit is separated from a substrate; and
b) 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, thereby disabling the integrated circuit.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-changeable non-volatile memory is an EEPROM.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit further comprises logic adapted to determine whether the changeable non-volatile memory matches the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises a wireless transponder or a RFID device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein permanently disabling the integrated circuit consumes less than 1 mW of power.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is wirelessly disabled.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the integrated circuit is wirelessly disabled at a distance of greater than 10 cm.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the integrated circuit is wirelessly disabled at a distance of greater than 10 cm and with a transmitter power of 1 W or less.
9. An integrated circuit comprising:
a) a non-changeable non-volatile memory adapted to store 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 after the integrated circuit is separated from a substrate; and
d) circuitry adapted to disable one or more operating functions of the integrated circuit when, after an integrated circuit corresponding to the integrated circuit 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.
10. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , further comprising circuitry adapted to program the changeable non-volatile memory with the activation code.
11. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the integrated circuit is functional when the activation code in the non-changeable non-volatile memory matches the code in the changeable non-volatile memory and is 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.
12. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , further comprising power and data busses, the power and data busses configured to test the integrated circuit when probed by an integrated circuit tester.
13. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the changeable non-volatile memory comprises an EEPROM.
14. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises a wireless transponder or RFID device.
15. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , 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.
16. The integrated circuit of claim 9 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises one or more RFID function blocks.
17. The integrated circuit of claim 16 , 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.