A new fabrication technique enables two chips to share a unique “fingerprint,” allowing one to authenticate the other without the need to store secret key information on a third-party server, eliminating security risks.

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MIT engineers developed a chip fabrication technique that creates a shared physical 'fingerprint' (twin PUF) between two CMOS chips, enabling direct mutual authentication without storing secret keys on third-party servers. By using gate oxide breakdown via low-cost LEDs on paired transistors at chip edges before dicing, each chip pair shares a unique, unclonable identifier with over 98% reliability. The method is compatible with standard CMOS foundry processes and targets power-constrained device pairs like medical sensors, eliminating server-side security vulnerabilities and reducing computational overhead.

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