A Modern Approach to IP Protection and Trojan Prevention: Split Manufacturing for 3D ICs and Obfuscation of Vertical Interconnects

Split manufacturing (SM) and layout camouflaging (LC) are two promising techniques to obscure integrated circuits (ICs) from malicious entities during and after manufacturing. While both techniques enable protecting the intellectual property (IP) of ICs, SM can further mitigate the insertion of hardware Trojans (HTs). In this paper, we strive for the best of both worlds, that is we seek to combine the individual strengths of SM and LC. By jointly extending SM and LC techniques toward 3D integration, an up-and-coming paradigm based on stacking and interconnecting of multiple chips, we establish a modern approach to hardware security. Toward that end, we develop a security-driven CAD and manufacturing flow for 3D ICs in two variations, one for IP protection and one for HT prevention. Essential concepts of that flow are (i) 3D splitting of the netlist to protect, (ii) obfuscation of the vertical interconnects (i.e., the wiring between stacked chips), and (iii) for HT prevention, a security-driven synthesis stage. We conduct comprehensive experiments on DRC-clean layouts of multi-million-gate DARPA and OpenCores designs (and others). Strengthened by extensive security analysis for both IP protection and HT prevention, we argue that entering the third dimension is eminent for effective and efficient hardware security.

Automated summary

This paper introduces a security-driven CAD and manufacturing flow for 3D integrated circuits by combining split manufacturing and layout camouflaging techniques, aiming to protect intellectual property and prevent the insertion of hardware Trojans. Extensive security analysis supports the effectiveness and efficiency of entering the third dimension for hardware security.