CirroStrato
The project is about novel reconfigurable transistors for the know-how protection of electronic components.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Rolf Drechsler, Dr. Sebastian Huhn
Motivation
In the future, everyday life will be even more influenced by electronic components that are used, e.g., in self-driving cars or service robots. Therefore, it is from uttermost importance that these electronic components are trustworthy. To ensure this, the German government is funding research and development of novel methods, solutions and processes ranging from design and manufacturing to analysis and testing as part of the flagship initiative "Trustworthy Electronics". The aim of CirroStrato is to research the use of so-called reconfigurable transistors to protect the intellectual property of chip layouts. Within the project group, we perform central tasks for testing and verification of the novel protection mechanisms.
Goals and procedure
In the CirroStrato joint research project, we and four other partners are developing novel protection mechanisms for the know-how protection of electronic components. The project partners Nanoelectronics Materials Laboratory (NaMLab) gGmbH (as joint coordinator), GLOBALFOUNDRIES LLC & Co. KG, Technische Universität Dresden and NXP Semiconductors Germany GmbH (as associated partner) are relying on the novel technology of reconfigurable field-effect transistors (RFETs). Based on this technology, the CirroStrato project consortium is researching and designing an automated design flow for RFET-based technology that will enable novel protection mechanisms to be integrated into electronics. These mechanisms are intended to counteract the spying out of the functionality of electronic components and thus possible plagiarism. The aim is to create a secure and trustworthy value chain that will make a significant contribution to Germany's technological sovereignty. On the one hand, the developments are used to demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness and, on the other, form the basis for possible certification. In the exemplary implementation of a chip, the new process will be tested and its security checked with the involvement of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
For more information, please visit the website of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research
