Phase-Change Memristive Materials for Physically Unclonable Anticounterfeiting Devices

Anticounterfeiting devices driven by physical unclonable functions (PUFs), as one of the emerging tools against counterfeiting, are easy to create but challenging to replicate due to intrinsic randomness. Phase-change memristive materials show large degree of randomness suitable for high performance and down-scalable PUF devices. Herein, we demonstrate the utilization of high-degree-of-randomness amorphous (A) state variations concomitant with different operating conditions via thermal fluctuation phenomena, together with a hybrid framework for in memory computing and next generation security primitive, i.e., A PUF, for attaining secure key generation and device authentication. Rapid crystallization process enables large-size key reconfigurability in A-PUF, while in-memory computing empowers a strong eXclusiveOR (XOR-) and-repeat A PUF construction to avoid machine learning attacks. Near ideal uniformity and uniqueness without additional initial writing overheads in weak memristive A-PUF is achieved. These PUF devices could provide a potential system to realize unbreakable anticounterfeiting.