Digital Forensic Atomic Force Microscopy of Semiconductor Memory Arrays - Advances in Digital Forensics XV Access content directly
Conference Papers Year : 2019

Digital Forensic Atomic Force Microscopy of Semiconductor Memory Arrays

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy is an analytical technique that provides very high spatial resolution with independent measurements of surface topography and electrical properties. This chapter assesses the potential for atomic force microscopy to read data stored as local charges in the cells of memory chips, with an emphasis on simple sample preparation (“delidding”) and imaging of the topsides of chip structures, thereby avoiding complex and destructive techniques such as backside etching and polishing. Atomic force microscopy measurements of a vintage EPROM chip demonstrate that imaging is possible even when sample cleanliness, stability and topographical roughness are decidedly sub-optimal. As feature sizes slip below the resolution limits of optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy offers a promising route for functional characterization of semiconductor memory structures in RAM chips, microprocessors and cryptographic hardware.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
488399_1_En_12_Chapter.pdf (829.54 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origin : Files produced by the author(s)
Loading...

Dates and versions

hal-02534609 , version 1 (07-04-2020)

Licence

Attribution

Identifiers

Cite

Struan Gray, Stefan Axelsson. Digital Forensic Atomic Force Microscopy of Semiconductor Memory Arrays. 15th IFIP International Conference on Digital Forensics (DigitalForensics), Jan 2019, Orlando, FL, United States. pp.219-237, ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-28752-8_12⟩. ⟨hal-02534609⟩
44 View
37 Download

Altmetric

Share

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More