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arXiv:2012.11358 · Journal of Lightwave Technology

Reconfigurable Integrated Optical Interferometer Network-Based Physically Unclonable Function

Amos Matthew Smith, H. Shelton Jacinto

Published May 20, 2020• 18 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this article we describe the characteristics of a large integrated linear optical device containing Mach-Zehnder interferometers and describe its potential use as a physically unclonable function. We propose that any tunable interferometric device of practical scale will be intrinsically unclonable and will possess an inherent randomness that can be useful for many practical applications. The device under test has the additional use-case as a general-purpose photonic manipulation tool, with various applications based on the experimental results of our prototype. Once our tunable interferometric device is set to work as a physically unclonable function, we find that there are approximately 6.85 × 1035challenge-response pairs, where each challenge can be quickly reconfigured by tuning the interferometer array for subsequent challenges.

DOI
10.1109/jlt.2020.2996015

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In this article we describe the characteristics of a large integrated linear optical device containing Mach-Zehnder interferometers and describe its potential use as a physically unclonable function. We propose that any tunable interferometric device of practical scale will be intrinsically unclonable and will possess an inherent randomness that can be useful for many practical applications. The device under test has the additional use-case as a general-purpose photonic manipulation tool, with various applications based on the experimental results of our prototype. Once our tunable interferometric device is set to work as a physically unclonable function, we find that there are approximately 6.85 × 1035challenge-response pairs, where each challenge can be quickly reconfigured by tuning the interferometer array for subsequent challenges.
In this work, the novel usage of a physically unclonable function composed of a network of Mach-Zehnder interferometers for authentication tasks is described. The physically unclonable function hardware is completely reconfigurable, allowing for a large number of seemingly independent devices to be utilized, thus imitating a large array of single-response physically unclonable functions. It is proposed that any reconfigurable array of Mach-Zehnder interferometers can be used as an authentication mechanism, not only for physical objects, but for information transmitted both classically and quantumly. The proposed use-case for a fully-optical physically unclonable function, designed with reconfigurable hardware, is to authenticate messages between a trusted and possibly untrusted party; verifying that the messages received are generated by the holder of the authentic device.
In this work, the novel usage of a physically unclonable function composed of a network of Mach-Zehnder interferometers for authentication tasks is described. The physically unclonable function hardware is completely reconfigurable, allowing for a large number of seemingly independent devices to be utilized, thus imitating a large array of single-response physically unclonable functions. It is proposed that any reconfigurable array of Mach-Zehnder interferometers can be used as an authentication mechanism, not only for physical objects, but for information transmitted both classically and quantumly. The proposed use-case for a fully-optical physically unclonable function, designed with reconfigurable hardware, is to authenticate messages between a trusted and possibly untrusted party; verifying that the messages received are generated by the holder of the authentic device.
Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) are hardware security primitives whose inherent physical complexity can be exploited for secure authentication and cryptographic key generation. Silicon photonic devices, owing to their suitability for quantum and artificial intelligence applications alongside standard CMOS fabrication processes, constitute a highly promising substrate for integrated multifunctional PUFs. Despite the advanced security guarantees offered by quantum cryptographic protocols and the central role of silicon photonics in quantum technologies, quantum readout strategies based on single-photon states for photonic PUFs remain largely unexplored. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a silicon nitride (SiN) programmable photonic Mach Zehnder interferometer mesh that implements a unitary transformation and operates as a PUF, whose secret physical signature arises from uncontrollable waveguide variations during fabrication. Using experimentally derived parameters from the SiN integrated mesh, we further introduce and numerically evaluate a quantum readout protocol that combines single-photon states with PUFs. Maximally mixed quantum states are employed to conceal the underlying unitary transformation from passive eavesdropping. Security against adversaries possessing devices fabricated under similar conditions is assessed, with authentication performance quantified through Monte Carlo analysis of the false acceptance and false rejection rates as a function of the number of detected events and corrected errors. The results indicate exceptional performance with equal error rates as low as 10 to the minus 14, highlighting the potential of quantum secure PUFs for high security authentication applications.
With the accelerating expansion of connectivity, the need for advanced cyber-physical security technologies that bridge the digital and physical worlds is becoming more crucial than ever. Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) leveraging nanotechnologies and photonic technologies are emerging as practical and deployable hardware security solutions that go beyond software-based hardware security. Optics- and photonics-based PUFs (often referred to as optical PUFs) offer a range of characteristics beneficial to multiplex strategies that incorporate multilevel and multimodal approaches, based on their fundamental optical and photonic properties. PUFs are categorized as multilevel when multiple responses are generated from a single type of challenge, such as a light source or optical tool. In contrast, they are classified as multimodal when multiple responses are created from various types of challenges involving a combination of different light sources and optical tools. This review highlights recent advances and progress in integrating emerging materials, detection tools, authentication methods, imaging techniques, reconfigurability, and unclonability, which are essential for advancing next-generation multiplex PUFs. To facilitate real-world applications and to support deployment in real-world senarios, we also discuss existing limitations in multiplex optical PUFs and explore potential strategies to overcome such challenges, supporting our increasingly hyperconnected society.