Magnetic Operational Environment Sensor

This Phase I SBIR program will design and manufacture an environmental sensor that is sensitive to the earth's magnetic fields. The device is ideal for "black-box" attacks because it is sensitive to changing environmental conditions with and without power. The sensor requires no internal power supplies or batteries. The device is microelectronic compatible which allows it to be very small and extremely versatile. The "black box" can be many sizes and shapes from miniaturized microelectronic systems to large shipping containers. The device can be custom packaged or fully integrated with other ICs at the wafer level. The device works by storing one vector component of the earth's ambient magnetic field in a magnetically unstable array of lithographically patterned magnetic elements. When the protected volume is rotated, turned, or tilted, the sensor is exposed to varying ambient magnetic fields. This upsets the alignment of the magnetic elements, which can then be read when power has been restored. The sensor could be used to signal a self-destruct of critical systems or signal the erasure of important data.