Semiconductor Device with Back Side Protection Mechanism

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a semiconductor device that incorporates a special protection mechanism to safeguard the back side of the chip against physical and optical attacks. The device is constructed from a permanently bonded stack of two semiconductor bodies: a circuit body and a protection body. The protection body contains light emitters and a light absorption region to prevent light or physical intrusion from the back. The circuit body contains light detectors on the front side that can detect anomalies in light transmission, which indicate potential tampering or attacks. A driver unit controls the light emitters, and an evaluation unit compares detected signals with expected values to identify breaches or manipulations.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Smart cards and payment cards for secure transactions
• Electronic banking systems and hardware security modules
• Automotive electronics requiring tamper resistance (e.g., keyless entry, control units)
• Military or defense secure communication equipment
• Authentication modules in secure communication terminals
• High-security microprocessors and controllers against reverse engineering or data theft
• Secure identification modules and hardware tokens

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enhanced protection against physical and optical attacks from the back side of semiconductor devices
• Active, real-time attack detection using changes in light transmission
• Ability to provide unique device authentication via physical unclonable functions (PUF) based on interface roughness
• Integration of protection without significant impact on circuit performance or layout
• Reduced risk of data theft, reverse engineering, or unauthorized extraction of secrets from hardware
• Flexible manufacturing—protection and circuit layers can use different materials and process parameters
• Scalable for use in mass production and adaptable to various security-critical applications

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a semiconductor device (100) comprising:a substrate stack (122) comprising two permanently bonded semiconductor bodies (102, 104), which are stacked in a depth direction that points perpendicularly from a front side (108) towards a back side (110) of the substrate stack, and which share a buried bonding interface (106) that extends at a respective distance from the front and back sides and parallel thereto; wherein:- a first of the two bodies, hereinafter the protection body (104), comprises an active region (113) with one or more light emitters (112) at the buried bonding interface, and a light absorption region (114), which follows the active region in the depth direction and is opaque for light emitted from the one or more light emitters;- a second of the two bodies, hereinafter the circuit body (102), extends from the buried bonding interface to the front side of the substrate stack, is transmissive for the light emitted from the one or more light emitters, and comprises at least one light detector (118, 120) at the front side of the substrate stack, which is configured to provide a detector signal indicative of a detected light intensity of light emitted from the one or more light emitters and transmitted through the circuit body.The semiconductor device further comprises a driver unit that is configured to drive operation of the light emitters using predetermined operation parameters.