Patent watch: Waveform signature detects fake circuits

Researchers in Japan have been granted a US patent on a method of fingerprinting circuits to distinguish authentic components and counterfeits.

The patent awarded to the US National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NIAIST) covers the use of an electromagnetic or power consumption signature - recorded at the time of manufacture - that can subsequently be used to authenticate the circuit.

The patent notes that up to the 1990s manufacturing of circuits was conducted by only a few specialised makers with advanced technology, and products were mainly distributed through legitimate channels, so "problems caused by the commercial distribution of counterfeit products and shoddy items did not surface."

Now, it continues, cases of counterfeiting and reverse engineering have "grown exponentially in number" and the need for countermeasures is imperative.