Patents Assigned to Promtek
  • Patent number: 8111089
    Abstract: A logical building block and method of using the building block to design a logic cell library for CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon) ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) is disclosed. Different logic gates, built with the same building block as described in this invention, will have the same schematics of transistor connection and also the same physical layout so that they appear to be physically identical under optical or electron microscopy. An ASIC designed from a library of such logic cells is strongly resistant to a reverse engineering attempt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignees: Syphermedia International, Inc., Promtek Programmable Memory Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald P. Cocchi, James P. Baukus, Bryan J. Wang, Lap Wai Chow, Paul Ouyang
  • Patent number: 7935603
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignees: HRL Laboratories, LLC, Raytheon Corporation, Promtek
    Inventors: Lap-Wai Chow, William M. Clark, Jr., Gavin J. Harbison, Paul Ou Yang
  • Publication number: 20100301903
    Abstract: A logical building block and method of using the building block to design a logic cell library for CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon) ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) is disclosed. Different logic gates, built with the same building block as described in this invention, will have the same schematics of transistor connection and also the same physical layout so that they appear to be physically identical under optical or electron microscopy. An ASIC designed from a library of such logic cells is strongly resistant to a reverse engineering attempt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicants: SYPHERMEDIA INTERNATIONAL, INC., PROMTEK PROGRAMMABLE MEMORY TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Ronald P. Cocchi, James P. Baukus, Bryan J. Wang, Lap Wai Chow, Paul Ouyang
  • Publication number: 20080079082
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicants: HRL LABORATORIES, LLC, Raytheon Company, Promtek
    Inventors: William M. Clark, Lap Wai Chow, Gavin Harbison, Paul Ouyang
  • Patent number: 6924552
    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