Engineering die-level active shields, wirebond defenses, and optical interlocks against focused ion beam (FIB) workstations.
Well-funded attackers utilize dual-beam FIB workstations combining gallium ion milling with scanning electron microscopes (SEM) to cut internal zeroization traces and attach tungsten microprobes directly to on-chip data buses. Defeating this threat requires physical security integrated into the silicon die itself.
HSMProtect incorporates on-die active serpentine shields fabricated on the uppermost metal layers (M8/M9) of the cryptographic ASIC. These metal traces carry high-frequency dynamic clock signals that form an impenetrable ceiling over lower-level logic and memory arrays. Any attempt to mill through the shield interrupts the circuit and instantly purges the memory.
Silicon photodiodes integrated directly beneath the top metal layers trigger when exposed to the imaging lasers of FIB systems or optical microscopes, providing a fail-safe secondary defense mechanism if physical shielding is somehow bypassed.