Rolling the Dice with Light Competition: Introducing a True Random Number Generator Powered by Photo‐Induced Polarity Current
Taehyun Park, Juhyung Seo, Nam Ju Kim, Chaehyun Kim, Yeong Jae Kim, Hyeonghun Kim, Hyun Ho Kim, Seyong Oh, Dong Chan Kim, Donghee Son, Jaehyun Hur, Young‐Joon Kim, Byung Chul Jang, Hocheon Yoo
The pursuit of hardware-based security solutions has highlighted the true random number generator (TRNG). Various physical phenomena, from noise generation to quantum physics complexities, have been explored for random number generation. The arc discharge light-induced TRNG (ALTRNG) is introduced, featuring wavelength-dependent photocurrent generation and arc discharge irradiation. A bipolar photo-responsive photodetector (BPPD) differentiates "1" and "0" states, producing highly random bits validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 15 tests. The BPPD's response to deep-ultraviolet (DUV) and blue light enables distinct photocurrent generation under arc discharge illumination. The ALTRNG generates true random signals, yielding bit streams with unpredictability, uniform distribution, and stability. With a readout circuit achieving 2-kbps, wireless random number transmission is demonstrated, highlighting potential for secure password systems and artificial X-ray image generation.
The pursuit of hardware-based security solutions has highlighted the true random number generator (TRNG). Various physical phenomena, from noise generation to quantum physics complexities, have been explored for random number generation. The arc discharge light-induced TRNG (ALTRNG) is introduced, featuring wavelength-dependent photocurrent generation and arc discharge irradiation. A bipolar photo-responsive photodetector (BPPD) differentiates "1" and "0" states, producing highly random bits validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 15 tests. The BPPD's response to deep-ultraviolet (DUV) and blue light enables distinct photocurrent generation under arc discharge illumination. The ALTRNG generates true random signals, yielding bit streams with unpredictability, uniform distribution, and stability. With a readout circuit achieving 2-kbps, wireless random number transmission is demonstrated, highlighting potential for secure password systems and artificial X-ray image generation.
True Random Number Generator In article number 2419579, Hocheon Yoo and co-workers present arc discharge light-induced true random number generator (ALTRNG), using a bipolar photo-responsive photodetector to generate random bits through unpredictable arc discharge illumination. Validated by 15 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests, ALTRNG produces highly random bit streams and, with a 2-kbps readout circuit, enables wireless random number transmission for secure password systems and artificial X-ray imaging.
The true random number generator (TRNG) is an invaluable resource for many applications. Present TRNG methods all require specialised and expensive hardware, which are not suitable for personal use. A portable TRNG configuration is proposed, which is simply based on the camera of a commercial smartphone. No other auxiliary equipment except the mobile phone itself was needed, which offers a promising solution for personal encryption applications. With the flash lamp of the camera and the thumb of the operator, quasi‐uniform illumination was obtained, setting the image sensor at a working point where the shot noise of the photocurrent dominates the overall characteristics of the sensor output noise. Random bits were first produced according to the shot noise and then entropy enhanced by vector–matrix multiplication. A sequence of 10 9 bits was produced and its randomness has been proved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests.
ABSTRACT We present a photospike‐based true random number generator (PS‐TRNG) that exploits the intrinsic randomness from light–matter interaction and stochastic charge trapping. By integrating copper vanadate (CuV 2 O 6 ) nanostructures with a tin dioxide quantum dot (SnO 2 QD) layer, the device induces probabilistic trapping–de‐trapping dynamics, producing random photospike currents under optical pulse trains. The spike currents show high entropy and enable multi‐level random number generation beyond binary, providing ternary outputs with near‐ideal statistics (33.30% uniformity, 33.28% inter‐Hamming distance) and full success in all 15 NIST tests. We further develop an image authenticity verification system by integrating the PS‐TRNG with a mobile platform and custom‐designed circuit board, enabling hardware‐based detection of unauthorized image modifications. The random numbers are embedded as a hidden layer within the image data without degrading visual quality, enabling detection of unauthorized modifications. The system can successfully identify image modifications, even those involving highly sophisticated manipulations generated by artificial intelligence (AI)‐based image editing tools. The device maintains stable operation over 2 million cycles and remains reliable even after more than 460 days, demonstrating its long‐term stability.
Wireless networks need more security in comparison to the other networks due to their intrinsic vulnerabilities to possible attacks. It is expected that by using a distributed method for true random number generators (TRNG) in wireless sensor networks (WSN) and wireless LAN (WLAN) randomness quality of generated numbers can be enhanced. We analyze a protocol for a distributed TRNG named ScatterLight (L. R. Giuseppe, M. Fabrizio and O. Marco, 2011) for a WSN. After making some changes on ScatterLight structure and physical data sources, the Enhanced ScatterLight protocol is introduced; it provides secure and high qualified true random numbers. Thus, the quality of randomness of obtained random numbers using National Institute of Standards and Technology tests is evaluated. Finally, by analyzing the results, it can be conducted that Enhanced ScatterLight protocol in comparisons with ScatterLight protocol in WLAN and LAN provides 60% and 53% better randomness quality respectively, while the performance is equal in both protocols.
This paper presents a lightweight true random number generator (TRNG) using beta radiation that is useful for Internet of Things (IoT) security. In general, a random number generator (RNG) is required for all secure communication devices because random numbers are needed to generate encryption keys. Most RNGs are computer algorithms and use physical noise as their seed. However, it is difficult to obtain physical noise in small IoT devices. Since IoT security functions are required in almost all countries, IoT devices must be equipped with security algorithms that can pass the cryptographic module validation programs of each country. In this regard, it is very cumbersome to embed security algorithms, random number generation algorithms, and even physical noise sources in small IoT devices. Therefore, this paper introduces a lightweight TRNG comprising a thin-film beta-radiation source and integrated circuits (ICs). Although the ICs are currently being designed, the IC design was functionally verified at the board level. Our random numbers are output from a verification board and tested according to National Institute of Standards and Technology standards.
As technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, the Internet of Things, wearable electronics, and edge computing continue to spread in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the importance of hardware security for the safe storage, transmission, and processing of large volumes of data has grown substantially. One of the key components of such security systems is the true random number generator (TRNG), which produces unpredictable random numbers for cryptographic use. In recent years, research on TRNGs has increasingly moved beyond conventional CMOS-based approaches toward semiconductor devices built from emerging materials. These material-based TRNGs offer several advantages, including high integration density, low power consumption, compact form factors, and strong suitability for next-generation edge and IoT environments, because they can directly exploit the intrinsic stochasticity of the device itself as an entropy source. In this review, recent studies on TRNGs based on emerging material-based semiconductor devices are examined from the perspectives of entropy sources, device structures, randomness validation, and wearable/flexible extensions. By bringing together the key physical mechanisms, device platforms, evaluation criteria, and prospects for wearable and flexible electronics in edge and IoT environments, this review aims to provide a useful framework for future research on hardware security devices.