Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Patent
1997-08-12
1999-03-02
Meier, Stephen D.
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
257778, 257922, H01L 2302, H01L 2348, H01L 2352, H01L 2940
Patent
active
058775471
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a security device including an electronic memory and designed to protect secret information contained in the memory.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such devices are included in portable payment terminals, for example, within an electronic security application module (SAM). These modules are very important because they contain secret information (example: bank keys), the discovery of which would allow access to an entire system.
The information is necessarily in an electronic layer of an integrated circuit. A passivation layer generally covers the electronic layer.
In some cases, this layer may not be a sufficient obstacle to access to the secret information, if sophisticated reading means are employed to read the information through the passivation layer. These reading means can utilize particle beam-type scanning techniques, for example.
Existing techniques intended to protect such information include the use of conventional intrusion sensors to protect an enclosure containing the electronic memory containing the information.
Also known in themselves are means protecting the integrated circuit directly against reading with the aid of sophisticated equipment. Said means are of two types: the first consists in masking the pattern of the semiconductor, for example by a metalization, a grid of dummy circuits or a diamond carbon layer; the second consists in memorizing the information in a RAM type memory and possibly combining it with random numbers that are changed continuously. The information is accessible only through an operating system that controls access to it. The principles used are identical to those of microprocessor cards. With this second type of means, the secrets contained in a RAM are always lost if the power supply to the component is interrupted. In this case, access to the information is not totally impossible providing the following are known: without creating a short-circuit that would lead to loss of the information, in real time.
The various prior art techniques mentioned hereinabove have the disadvantage of being ineffective if highly sophisticated means are employed or of being costly, in particular when diamond carbon masks are used.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aim of the present invention is to provide an electronic security device that is more effective and the implementation of which is compatible with standardized fabrication processes.
To this end, the present invention consists in a security device containing secret information and designed to prevent access to said information by external exploration means, of the type including an integrated circuit having a memory area receiving said information and protection means covering and fastened at least to said memory area to form an obstacle to exploration, wherein said protection means comprise at least a second integrated circuit and wherein they further comprise interactive connection means between the two integrated circuits and means for destroying the secret information if their connection is interrupted or disrupted.
According to a feature of the invention, the device includes authentication means for authenticating at least the second integrated circuit.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the integrated circuits are disposed one behind the other and include external electrical connections connecting them to each other.
In a second embodiment of the invention the integrated circuits are disposed face-to-face and include internal electrical connections connecting them to each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention emerge from the following description of an embodiment of the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows in section the structure of a first embodiment of the invention,
FIG. 2 shows in section the structure of a second embodiment of the invention, and
FIG. 3 shows the invention with particular interactive connection modes.
FIG. 4 shows in section the structure of
REFERENCES:
patent: 4105156 (1978-08-01), Dethloff
patent: 4593384 (1986-06-01), Kleijne
patent: 5214308 (1993-05-01), Nishiguchi et al.
patent: 5471369 (1995-11-01), Honda et al.
Meier Stephen D.
Schlumberger Industries
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