Non-Energetics-Based Self-Destruct Mechanisms

The new technological approach provides ability to implement physical destruction of semiconductor devices with an inexpensive and completely silent method that is non-energetic. The approach promises to be synergistic with AT applications at the microelectronics die and wafer level and appears to be compatible with standard fabrication tools either as a standard step during manufacture or possibly as a later security add-on. It will be virtually impossible to detect. Even if an adversary were successful in bypassing security systems and gained access to the security sensitive electronics device(s), the adversary will not be aware that the device has silently undergone a complete physical destruction mode. Even if an adversary were somehow to gain prior knowledge that that the anti-tamper security had been installed, there is not a thing that the adversary can do to prevent (selectable) annihilation of the chip to the point where it would be inordinately difficult, even with layer by layer scan (ION beam), impedance or removal techniques to recover any useful on either microelectronics design or stored data.