Highly Reliable Magnetic Memory-Based Physical Unclonable Functions
Jaimin Kang, Donghyeon Han, Kyungchul Lee, San Ko, Daekyu Koh, Chando Park, Jaesoo Ahn, Minrui Yu, Mahendra Pakala, Sujung Noh, Hansaem Lee, Joonhyun Kwon, Kab‐Jin Kim, Jongsun Park, Soogil Lee, Jisung Lee, Byong‐Guk Park
Magnetic random-access memory (MRAM), which stores information through control of the magnetization direction, offers promising features as a viable nonvolatile memory alternative, including high endurance and successful large-scale commercialization. Recently, MRAM applications have extended beyond traditional memories, finding utility in emerging computing architectures such as in-memory computing and probabilistic bits. In this work, we report highly reliable MRAM-based security devices, known as physical unclonable functions (PUFs), achieved by exploiting nanoscale perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). By intentionally randomizing the magnetization direction of the antiferromagnetically coupled reference layer of the MTJs, we successfully create an MRAM-PUF. The proposed PUF shows ideal uniformity and uniqueness and, in particular, maintains performance over a wide temperature range from -40 to +150 °C. Moreover, rigorous testing with more than 1584 challenge-response pairs of 64 bits each confirms resilience against machine learning attacks. These results, combined with the merits of commercialized MRAM technology, would facilitate the implementation of MRAM-PUFs.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c00078
Magnetoresistive random-access memory
Hardware security module
Physical unclonable function
Computer science
Materials science
Embedded system
Random access memory
Computer hardware
Cryptography
Arbiter
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