Analysis the performance of Delay Locked Loop Physically Unclonable Functions for smart energy meter

Abstract

The provision of secure and sustainable energy services is ensured by this research, also contributing to the advancement of technology align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The motivation behind this study stems from the critical need to bolster hardware security within cutting-edge smart grid infrastructure, and more specifically, for smart energy metering technology. To address this need, this paper introduces a feasible and modular approach for enhancing the security through the implementation of a cryptographic key generator. This key generator is based on a modified Delay-based Physically Unclonable Function (PUF), which incorporates the innovative concept of a Delay Locked Loop(DLL).The reliability of the proposed PUFs has been rigorously assessed, demonstrating impressive performance levels of 98.02% and 99.1% across a wide temperature and supply voltage, spanning from -40°C to 80°C and (3.0-3.6) V. This is showcasing exceptional functionality within the smart meter’s operational parameters.The effectiveness of this approach is confirmed through practical testing conducted on the ZYNQ-7 ZC 702 Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform.The outcomes are encouraging by substantial uniqueness (55.96% and 56.2%) and uniformity (51.2% and 49.15%). This research significantly advances the state of the art by surpassing previous investigations into XOR Arbiter PUF (XOR APUF) and Configurable Ring Oscillator PUF (CRO PUF) designs. Furthermore, the paper delves into an examination of the proposed design’s resilience against modeling attacks, along with comprehensive security assessments.