Performance of physical unclonable functions with shift-register-based post-processing

Abstract

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are encoded in the unique physical structure of a system, which stems from process variation, and represent a minimalistic yet secure alternative for authentication on integrated circuits. However, the amount of randomness in the PUF output could be a significant limitation. However, by passing the PUF response to a shift register, the randomness of the PUF output could be greatly increased while maintaining reliability. Here we discuss the performance of an arbiter- and ring-oscillator-type PUF with a simple shift register from the viewpoint of biometrics. Experimental results show that authentication with the shifted response data is superior to that with non-shifted data. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.