Abstract An encryption key is one of the most important tools for securing long-range communication from eavesdropping. Random numbers derived from an inherently stochastic system offer a convenient way to generate secure keys. Most existing solutions rely on electronic components to generate random numbers, while most modern long-range communications are based on optics. Existing solutions thus involve complicated circuitry to extract bits from the physical entropy source and then encode them into light. We report an Au/AgBr-based stochastic granular memristor connected with a light-emitting diode (LED) as a true random number generator for wireless secure long-range communication. This simple device can generate 128-bit encryption keys at 10 kbits/s speed without any postprocessing. The LED enabled wireless transmission of the key. The randomness of the source was also quantified through NIST randomness tests.
Abstract An encryption key is one of the most important tools for securing long-range communication from eavesdropping. Random numbers derived from an inherently stochastic system offer a convenient way to generate secure keys. Most existing solutions rely on electronic components to generate random numbers, while most modern long-range communications are based on optics. Existing solutions thus involve complicated circuitry to extract bits from the physical entropy source and then encode them into light. We report an Au/AgBr-based stochastic granular memristor connected with a light-emitting diode (LED) as a true random number generator for wireless secure long-range communication. This simple device can generate 128-bit encryption keys at 10 kbits/s speed without any postprocessing. The LED enabled wireless transmission of the key. The randomness of the source was also quantified through NIST randomness tests.
A small-sized photonic quantum random number generator, easy to be implemented in small electronic devices for secure data encryption and other applications, is highly demanding nowadays. Here, we propose a compact configuration with Silicon nanocrystals large area light emitting device (LED) coupled to a Silicon photomultiplier to generate random numbers. The random number generation methodology is based on the photon arrival time and is robust against the non-idealities of the detector and the source of quantum entropy. The raw data show high quality of randomness and pass all the statistical tests in national institute of standards and technology tests (NIST) suite without a post-processing algorithm. The highest bit rate is 0.5 Mbps with the efficiency of 4 bits per detected photon.
In this paper, we design a photonic-based true random number generator (True RNG) which is targeted for cryptographic application .Since all security protocols rely on unpredictability, RNGs for crypto applications must meet stringent requirements. The design employs a single-photon detection to generate a random signal which is useful in producing random output. In contrast with traditionally used of frequency sampler circuitry during bit extraction method, it uses a novel method of randomness extraction based on time interval between two successive random signals. The design comprises an optical setup and extremely compact and digitally random bit extraction circuitry which can be implemented on any advance crypto hardware devices. A NIST statistical test is used to test the randomness of the RNG output and has produced a good result. With the help of this True RNG, the cryptographic implementations can be secure enough from being abused of malicious act.
Abstract Secure communication in Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems typically rely on separate hardware elements for key generation, device authentication, and data transmission, complicating scalable integration. Here we demonstrate that micro-LEDs can integrate all three capabilities, reducing energy and footprint overheads and avoiding exposure to additional attack surfaces. Notably, fabrication-induced structural variations can generate stable, device-unique near-field emission patterns that serve as optoelectronic physical unclonable functions (PUFs), while spontaneous-emission noise can provide a quantum-origin entropy source for quantum random number generators (QRNGs). Through min-entropy evaluation and post-processing, a single micro-LED delivers a stable QRNG throughput of 13.25 Gb/s. Using a deep-neural-network-assisted extractor, each device yields reproducible 256-bit keys, with intra- and inter-device Hamming distances separated by more than an order of magnitude. Integrated into a post-quantum cryptographic framework, the micro-LED functions as a self-contained secure transmitter, enabling authenticated and encrypted free-space optical wireless communication at 1.97 Gb/s. In principle, the security mechanisms are wavelength-independent and extendable across material platforms. Together, these results establish a quantum-resilient photonic node that consolidates transmission, identity, and randomness at the edge device level, providing a scalable hardware building block for secure, low-power connectivity in future IoT networks.
Random number generation is a fundamental task for modern cryptography, secure communications, and stochastic computing. Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) provide inherently unpredictable data derived from quantum physical processes and therefore offer stronger security guarantees than classical approaches. However, some optical QRNGs rely on blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which suffer from reduced spectral matching with commonly used silicon avalanche photodiodes (APDs). This mismatch restricts the achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and limits the extractable quantum entropy. Here, we demonstrate a spontaneous emission-based QRNG employing a green InGaN LED coupled to a silicon APD. The improved spectral overlap between the emitted light and the APD responsivity results in a significantly higher SNR than with previously reported blue LEDs operating at similar electrical power levels. The measured signal is first filtered with a high-pass filter to suppress low-frequency noise, then randomness is extracted using the SHAKE256 hash function. A detailed statistical and spectral analysis is performed to evaluate the extractable entropy of the generated data. A physically reasonable estimation yields a quantum entropy generation rate of 2.78 Gbit/s. These results establish longer-wavelength nitride-based LEDs as a more suitable entropy source for QRNG systems, using inexpensive and widely available silicon photodiodes.
Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) harness the inherent unpredictability of quantum processes to generate true randomness, a critical resource for cryptography, secure communications, and emerging quantum technologies. In this paper, I will present a compact and scalable QRNG architecture based on micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), which serve as entropy sources by exploiting the intensity fluctuations of spontaneous emission. Our system, using a micro-LED, achieves a bandwidth-limited generation rate of 9.375 Gbit/s, while meeting the statistical randomness requirements specified by the NIST test suite. Our work lays the foundation for parallel QRNG integration on chip, enabling ultra-high-rate quantum random number generation in miniaturized, energy-efficient, and practical platforms. The implications of this advancement span from secure data and hardward to next-generation cryptographic systems.
True randomness is critical to secure communication in both quantum and classical regimes. We propose an approach of true random number generation based on the intrinsic randomness of spontaneous emission. In this approach, a method of random bit extraction was employed to extract true random bits simultaneously as the measurement of the physical entropy source. The random bits generated by the true random number generators have been statistically verified to be bias-free and mutually independent. With the current experimental setup, 7 random bits can be generated in parallel at a rate up to 40 GHz.