Low Cost and Easy Validation Anticounterfeiting Plasmonic Tags Based on Thin Films of Metal and Dielectric

Multilevel anticounterfeiting Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) tags based on thin film of silver (Ag), Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and PolyVinylPyrrolidone (PVP), are experimentally demonstrated and validated. We exploit the low adhesion of silver to glass and consequent degradation during ZnO deposition to induce morphological randomness. Several photographs of the tag surfaces have been collected with different illumination conditions and using two smartphones of diverse brand. The photos were analyzed using an image recognition algorithm revealing low common minutiae for different tags. Moreover, the optical response reveals peculiar spectra due to labels of plasmonic nature. The proposed systems can be easily fabricated on large areas and represent a cost-effective solution for practical protection of objects.

Automated summary

Multilevel anticounterfeiting Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) tags based on thin films of silver (Ag), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), and PolyVinylPyrrolidone (PVP) are successfully demonstrated. The low adhesion of silver to glass and the resulting degradation during ZnO deposition are used to induce morphological randomness. The system exhibits low common minutiae for different tags and peculiar optical response due to plasmonic labels. It offers a cost-effective solution for practical object protection.