Trusted Analog /Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits: A Survey and a Perspective

Yiorgos Makris, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas

March 29, 2019

Abstract

Unlike the extensive research effort that has been expended over the last decade in understanding the threat of hardware Trojans, piracy and counterfeiting of digital Integrated Circuits (ICs), and developing appropriate prevention and detection solutions, the topic remains largely unexplored for their analog/radio-frequency (RF) counterparts. Given the widespread use of analog functionality (i.e., physical interfaces, sensors, actuators, wireless communications, etc.) in most contemporary systems, a comprehensive understanding of the threats in analog/RF ICs is urgently needed, in order to facilitate the development of pertinent solutions. In this presentation, we will summarize and present the available body of knowledge in trusted and secure design of analog/RF ICs, covering both known vulnerabilities and available remedies. Furthermore, we will discuss the limitations of the current state-of-the-art in this topic, highlight the concomitant risks, and suggest research directions and steps to be taken toward designing, fabricating and deploying trusted and secure analog/RF ICs.

Brief Curriculum Vitae

Yiorgos is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, where he leads the Trusted and RELiable Architectures (TRELA) Research Laboratory. Prior to joining UT Dallas in 2011, he spent 10.5 years as a faculty of Electrical Engineering and of Computer Science at Yale University. He holds a Ph.D. (2001) and an M.S. (1997) in Computer Engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a Diploma of Computer Engineering and Informatics (1995) from the University of Patras, Greece. His main research interests are in the application of machine learning and statistical analysis in the design of trusted and reliable integrated circuits and systems, with particular emphasis in the analog/RF domain. He is also investigating hardware-based malware detection, forensics and reliability methods in modern microprocessors, as well as on-die learning and novel computational modalities using emerging technologies. His research activities have been supported by NSF, ARO, AFRL, SRC, DARPA, Boeing, IBM, LSI, Intel, Advantest, AMS, Qualcomm and TI. Yiorgos served as the 2016-2017 general chair and the 2013-2014 program chair of the IEEE VLSI Test Symposium, as well as the 2010-2012 program chair of the Test Technology Educational Program (TTEP). He serves or has served as an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, the IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, the IEEE Design & Test periodical and the Springer Journal of Electronic Testing: Theory and Applications, and he has also served as a guest editor for the IEEE Transactions on Computers and the IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, and as a topic coordinator and/or program committee member for several IEEE and ACM conferences. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a recipient of the 2006 Sheffield Distinguished Teaching Award, a recipient of Best Paper Awards from the 2013 Design Automation and Test in Europe (DATE'13) conference and the 2015 VLSI Test Symposium (VTS'15), as well as a recipient of Best Hardware Demonstration Awards from the 2016 and 2018 Symposia on Hardware Oriented Security and Trust (HOST’16 and HOST’18).