Detection of Recycled ICs Using Backscattering Side-Channel Analysis

Abstract

This article proposes a new, nondestructive method for detecting recycled integrated circuits (ICs) using the backscattering side-channel analysis (BSCA). In particular, this article explains the impact that aging has on the backscattering side-channel signal and validates the findings through simulations. Then, a new detection algorithm based on singular value decomposition for distinguishing unaged and aged ICs from their backscattered measurements is presented. The proposed method is then validated in a series of experiments. The results show that the proposed method is effective in detecting recycled ICs after being aged for a small fraction of the IC’s lifetime (roughly 66 days). The experiments also demonstrate the impact that circuit size and complexity have on detection accuracy.