Optical Marking and Identification of Electronic Components with Phase-Encoded Structures

To address the MDA need for marking/coating technology to guarantee authenticity of critical electronic components, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new technology for Optical Marking and IDentification of Electronic Components (OMIDEC) with phase-encoded structures. This proposed technology is based on parallel optical correlation between the reference and test phase-encoded structures bonded to integrated circuit (IC) electronic chips. The innovation in the novel use of a special nonreplicable phase-only volume structure (or mark) that functions as the OMIDEC"key,"and use of a novel optoelectronic verification system, will enable the MDA electronic system assembly personnel to safely select and use only"good,"noncounterfeit components. As a result, this OMIDEC technology offers both a procedure for fabrication and bonding secure marks on electronic components and an optical device for fast authentication of a single or multiple ICs, which directly address the MDA and NDAA requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of OMIDEC technology by fabricating sample PE marks and testing them in laboratory experiments. In Phase II, POC plans to advance the Phase I prototype in terms of its applicability in an industrial environment, to begin at low-rate initial production level.