Signature Embedding in the Functional Description of Reversible Circuit

Abstract

In order to prevent unauthorized access and illegal redistribution during the exchange and distribution of Intellectual Properties (IPs), embedding ownership information has become inevitable. Recently, research on reversible circuits has drawn significant attention especially in the areas of digital signal processing, nano and quantum computing. The strategies employed for dealing with the security risks associated with the development and distribution of conventional digital circuits may not be directly applicable to reversible circuits. In this paper, we propose a simple technique to embed the owner's signature during the synthesis of a reversible circuit. The embedded signature can be used to prevent unauthorized access and/or illegal distribution of such circuits (or circuit descriptions). The proposed technique offers strong security as the signature is embedded as a functional part of the design, at the initial stage of the specification. Experimental results on benchmarks show that the owner's signature can be embedded without significant overhead. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.