IP Library Granted Patent US 11,729,005
Granted Patent B2
US 11,729,005 · App. 17/072,519 · Granted Aug 15, 2023

Apparatus and method for processing authentication information

Inventors: Dong Kyue Kim (Seoul, KR); Byong Deok Choi (Seoul, KR); Dong Hyun Kim (Yongin-si, KR); Kwang Hyun Jee (Guri-si, KR)
Assignee: ICTK Holdings Co., Ltd.
H04L9/3278G09C1/00H04L9/0631H04L9/0863H04L9/0866H04L9/0877H04L9/0894H04L9/14H04L9/3226H04L9/3231H04L2209/12H04L2209/24
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,729,005
App. No.
17/072,519
Granted
Aug 15, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus including a physical unclonable function (PUF) to generate a unique key using a process variation in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and an encryption unit to encrypt a password and/or bio-information received from a user using the unique key.

Claims (20)

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a physical unclonable function (PUF) to generate a first unique key as an unpredictable digital value based on electrical characteristics between nodes generated on a semiconductor element by a process variation in a semiconductor manufacturing process;

a memory to store a second unique key; and

an encryption processor to encrypt received data using one of the first unique key and the second unique key and store the data encrypted.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PUF generates the first unique key using whether a short or open occurs between nodes generated on a semiconductor element by a process variation in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the PUF generates the first unique key using whether an interlayer contact formed between conductive layers of a semiconductor short-circuits the conductive layers.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the interlayer contact formed between the conductive layers of the semiconductor is formed to have a smaller size than that according to the design rule provided in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the PUF is configured to set the size of the interlayer contact formed between the conductive layers of the semiconductor such that a difference between a probability of the interlayer contact short-circuiting the conductive layers and a probability of the interlayer contact not short-circuiting the conductive layers is within a preset error range.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the PUF comprises N unit structures to generate a 1-bit digital value using a pair of conductive layers and one interlayer contact connecting the conductive layers and generates N-bit first unique keys through the N unit structures, N being a natural number.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the PUF generates N-bit digital values, and the information processing apparatus groups digital values comprised in the N-bit first unique keys by k units, compares a first group with a second group among a plurality of groups, and determines a digital value representing the first group and the second group as 1 when a value of k digital bits comprised in the first group is greater than a value of k digital bits comprised in the second group, k being a natural number.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the information processing apparatus selectively determines the digital value representing the first group and the second group as either one of 1 and 0 or does not determine the digital value representing the first group and the second group based on a setting when the value of the k digital bits comprised in the first group is the same as the value of the k digital bits comprised in the second group.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the encryption processor encrypts the password N times using the first unique key as a round key to generate an identification key, N being a natural number.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the encryption processor encrypts the password in accordance with an advanced encryption standard (AES) or a triple data encryption standard (T-DES) to generate the identification key.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data comprising bio-information.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data comprising at least one of user-password and PIN (Personal Identification Number) for authentication.

13. An information processing method comprising:

generating, by a physical unclonable function (PUF) of an information processing apparatus, a first unique key as an unpredictable digital value; and

encrypting, by an encryption processor of the apparatus, received data using one of the first unique key and a second unique key stored in a memory.

14. The information processing method of claim 13 , wherein generating of the first unique key generates the first unique key using whether a short or open occurs between nodes generated on a semiconductor element by a process variation in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

15. The information processing method of claim 13 , wherein the data comprising at least one of a user-password, PIN (Personal Identification Number), and bio-information input to the apparatus.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2020
From: ICTK CO., LTD
To: ICTK HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 054130/0218 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2020
From: KIM, DONG KYUE; CHOI, BYONG DEOK; KIM, DONG HYUN; JEE, KWANG HYUN
To: ICTK CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 054173/0952 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2012-0091197 · Aug 21, 2012 · national
Continuity (4)
Continuation 16220648 · Dec 14, 2018
Continuation 15634725 · Jun 27, 2017
Continuation 14422668
Related Publication 20210036875A1 · Feb 4, 2021