US 12,166,866 B2
Ultra high entropy material-based non-reversible spectral signature generation via quantum dots
Stacey L. Franklin, Hawthorne, CA (US); and Kalin Spariosu, Thousand Oaks, CA (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Tewksbury, MA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/363,857.
Application 18/363,857 is a division of application No. 17/653,761, filed on Mar. 7, 2022, granted, now 11,784,805.
Prior Publication US 2023/0396425 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 9/08 (2006.01); G02F 2/02 (2006.01); H04L 9/32 (2006.01)
CPC H04L 9/0852 (2013.01) [G02F 2/02 (2013.01); H04L 9/3236 (2013.01); H04L 9/3278 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of verifying an article of manufacture, the method comprising:
coupling to an article of manufacture a physically unclonable function (PUF) device that comprises:
a first excitation source configured to be externally controllable to provide light at a frequency suitable for exciting quantum dots (QDs);
a first layer of a first material having contained therein a first random distribution of first quantum dots (first QDs) of a first type, disposed at a first plurality of random locations, wherein the first type of the first QDs are configured to generate a first color in response to being excited by light from the first excitation source;
a second layer of a second material having contained therein a second random distribution of second QDs of a second type, disposed at a second plurality of random locations, wherein the second type of the second QDs are configured to generate a second color in response to being excited by light from the first excitation source, wherein the second color is different from the first color; and
a detector fixedly attached to one of the first and second layers, the detector configured for detecting a first pattern of light emitted by at least one of the first QDs and the second QDs in response to the first excitation source providing light, wherein the detector is configured for providing an output indicative of the detected first pattern of light;
causing the first excitation source providing light to excite at least a portion of the first random distribution of first QDs and at least a portion of the second random distribution of second QDs;
causing the detector, in response to the first excitation source providing light, to detect the first pattern of light and to provide the output indicative of the detected first pattern of light;
receiving from the PUF device, in response to the first excitation source providing light and the detector detecting the first pattern of light, the output indicative of the detected first pattern of light; and
verifying the article of manufacture if the output indicative of the detected first pattern of light satisfies a first predetermined condition.