Enabling IC Traceability via Blockchain Pegged to Embedded PUF

Abstract

Globalization of IC supply chain has increased the risk of counterfeit, tampered, and re-packaged chips in the market. Counterfeit electronics poses a security risk in safety critical applications like avionics, SCADA systems, and defense. It also affects the reputation of legitimate suppliers and causes financial losses. Hence, it becomes necessary to develop traceability solutions to ensure the integrity of supply chain, from the time of fabrication to the end of product-life, which allows a customer to verify the provenance of a device or a system. In this article, we present an IC traceability solution based on blockchain. A blockchain is a public immutable database that maintains a continuously growing list of data records secured from tampering and revision. Over the lifetime of an IC, all ownership transfer information is recorded and archived in a blockchain. This safe, verifiable method prevents any party from altering or challenging the legitimacy of the information being exchanged. However, a chain of sales record is not enough to ensure provenance of an IC. There is a need for clone-proof method for securely binding the identity of an IC to the blockchain information. In this article, we propose a method of IC supply chain traceability via blockchain pegged to embedded physically unclonable function (PUF). The blockchain provides ownership transfer record, while the PUF provides unique identification for an IC allowing it to be linked uniquely to a blockchain. Our proposed solution automates hardware and software protocols using blockchain-powered Smart Contract that allows supply chain participants to authenticate, track, trace, analyze, and provision chips throughout their entire life cycle.