Rolling the Dice with Light Competition: Introducing a True Random Number Generator Powered by Photo‐Induced Polarity Current (Adv. Mater. 14/2025)
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
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.
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 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.
Quantum random number generators (QRNG) are the prime source of randomness, by exploiting the unpredictable nature of Quantum mechanics QRNG aims to provide a string of completely random utterly unpredictable numbers. QRNGs are crucial for cryptography, scientific calculation, simulation, and many more real-world applications. Our Optical Quantum Random Number Generator (OQRNG) utilizes a high-speed pulsating laser, a Polarizing beam splitter (PBS), photodetectors, and advanced signal processing units that capture and digitize random photon intensity forming the raw random bit stream. This technique is famously known as Branching Path Technique. After that, we implement rigorous testing that encompasses the statistical randomness tests developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to ensure the guaranteed ran-domness meets security standards. A user-friendly Graphic user interface (GUI) simplifies interaction with the QRNG allowing the user to configure device settings, monitor system performance, and securely extract random numbers. Our findings help us demonstrate the superiority of QRNGs over classical random number generators, and highlight the potential of photon-based QRNGs and their environmentally friendly and efficient random number generation.
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.
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.
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.
Random numbers are fundamental elements in different fields of science and technology such as computer simulation like Monte Carlo-method simulation, statistical sampling, cryptography, games and gambling, and other areas where unpredictable results are necessary. Random number generators (RNG) are generally classified as “pseudo”-random number generators (PRNG) and "truly" random number generators (TRNG). Pseudo random numbers are generated by computer algorithms with a (random) seed and a specific formula. The random numbers produced in this way (with a small degree of unpredictability) are good enough for some applications such as computer simulation. However, for some other applications like cryptography they are not completely reliable. When the seed is revealed, the entire sequence of numbers can be produced. The periodicity is also an undesirable property of PRNGs that can be disregarded for most practical purposes if the sequence recurs after a very long period. However, the predictability still remains a tremendous disadvantage of this type of generators. Truly random numbers, on the other hand, can be generated through physical sources of randomness like flipping a coin. However, the approaches exploiting classical motion and classical physics to generate random numbers possess a deterministic nature that is transferred to the generated random numbers. The best solution is to benefit from the assets of indeterminacy and randomness in quantum physics. Based on the quantum theory, the properties of a particle cannot be determined with arbitrary precision until a measurement is carried out. The result of a measurement, therefore, remains unpredictable and random. Optical phenomena including photons as the quanta of light have various random, non-deterministic properties. These properties include the polarization of the photons, the exact number of photons impinging a detector and the photon arrival times. Such intrinsically random properties can be exploited to generate truly random numbers. Silicon (Si) is considered as an interesting material in integrated optics. Microelectronic chips made from Si are cheap and easy to mass-fabricate, and can be densely integrated. Si integrated optical chips, that can generate, modulate, process and detect light signals, exploit the benefits of Si while also being fully compatible with electronic. Since many electronic components can be integrated into a single chip, Si is an ideal candidate for the production of small, powerful devices. By complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the fabrication of compact and mass manufacturable devices with integrated components on the Si platform is achievable. In this thesis we aim to model, study and fabricate a compact photonic quantum random number generator (QRNG) on the Si platform that is able to generate high quality, "truly" random numbers. The proposed QRNG is based on a Si light source (LED) coupled with a Si single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) or an array of SPADs which is called Si photomultiplier (SiPM). Various implementations of QRNG have been developed reaching an ultimate geometry where both the source and the SPAD are integrated on the same chip and fabricated by the same process. This activity was performed within the project SiQuro—on Si chip quantum optics for quantum computing and secure communications—which aims to bring the quantum world into integrated photonics. By using the same successful paradigm of microelectronics—the study and design of very small electronic devices typically made from semiconductor materials—, the vision is to have low cost and mass manufacturable integrated quantum photonic circuits for a variety of different applications in quantum computing, measure, sensing, secure communications and services. The Si platform permits, in a natural way, the integration of quantum photonics with electronics. Two methodologies are presented to generate random numbers: one is based on photon counting measurements and another one is based on photon arrival time measurements. The latter is robust, masks all the drawbacks of afterpulsing, dead time and jitter of the Si SPAD and is effectively insensitive to ageing of the LED and to its emission drifts related to temperature variations. The raw data pass all the statistical tests in national institute of standards and technology (NIST) tests suite and TestU01 Alphabit battery without a post processing algorithm. The maximum demonstrated bit rate is 1.68 Mbps with the efficiency of 4-bits per detected photon. In order to realize a small, portable QRNG, we have produced a compact configuration consisting of a Si nanocrystals (Si-NCs) LED and a SiPM. All the statistical test in the NIST tests suite pass for the raw data with the maximum bit rate of 0.5 Mbps. We also prepared and studied a compact chip consisting of a Si-NCs LED and an array of detectors. An integrated chip, composed of Si p+/n junction working in avalanche region and a Si SPAD, was produced as well. High quality random numbers are produced through our robust methodology at the highest speed of 100 kcps. Integration of the source of entropy and the detector on a single chip is an efficient way to produce a compact RNG. A small RNG is an essential element to guarantee the security of our everyday life. It can be readily implemented into electronic devices for data encryption. The idea of "utmost security" would no longer be limited to particular organs owning sensitive information. It would be accessible to every one in everyday life.