Abstract: A technique for and structures for camouflaging an integrated circuit structure. The technique including forming active areas of a first conductivity type and LDD regions of a second conductivity type resulting in a transistor that is always non-operational when standard voltages are applied to the device.
Abstract: A technique for and structures for camouflaging an integrated circuit structure and strengthen its resistance to reverse engineering. A plurality of transistors are formed in a semiconductor substrate, at least some of the transistors being of the type having sidewall spacers with LDD regions formed under the sidewall spacers. Transistors are programmably interconnected with ambiguous interconnection features, the ambiguous interconnection features each comprising a channel formed in the semiconductor substrate with preferably the same dopant density as the LDD regions, with selected ones of the channels being formed of a conductivity type supporting electrical communication between interconnected active regions and with other selected ones of the channels being formed of a conductivity type inhibiting electrical communication but ambiguously appearing to a reverse engineer as supporting electrical communication.
Abstract: A multilayered integrated circuit and a method of designing a multilayered integrated circuit are provided. The circuit comprises at least two conductive layers and extraneous conductive lines placed in the conductive layers. The extraneous conductive lines are made of a material which is the same as the material in the conductive layers and have dimensions which are the same as the dimension of the material in the conductive layers. The extraneous conductive lines perform functions which are unnecessary to the operation of the integrated circuit and are undistinguishable from the functional conductive lines, thus burdening the work of a reverse engineer. The method of designing the multilayered circuit comprises a step of providing a computer generated representation of the extraneous conductive lines.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 14, 2003
Date of Patent:
August 2, 2005
Assignees:
HRL Laboratories, LLC, Promtek
Inventors:
James P. Baukus, Lap-Wai Chow, William M. Clark, Jr., Paul Ou Yang