SBIR Phase II: MEMS for Secure RFID Applications

This SBIR Phase II research project will demonstrate a working ?alpha? prototype of a MEMS-based approach to security for RFID and other electronic security applications. MEMS resonators have very narrow bandwidths and high frequencies which vary from resonator to resonator. This natural frequency variation can be used to uniquely identify a resonator, and makes cloning a specific signal extremely difficult ? in essence creating a ?voiceprint?. This approach to RFID security overcomes the drawbacks of encryption which include more complex and expensive tags and the need to manage encryption keys. MEMS resonators for RFID tags are unique, secure, cost effective, CMOS compatible, and fast to read, with low power requirements and low overhead. This research project will demonstrate in a real environment with material temperature swings, working vacuum encapsulated MEMS chips with attached antennas, a low-cost prototype reader with maximum 10cm read range, and reader and system software to extract MEMS response signals to compare with stored signals for chip identification. This project will have broad impact on the security of identification of both people and goods. For example, the RFID tags used in the implementation of US passports were recently cloned which calls into question the security of those documents. Since MEMS resonators cannot be cloned, they can provide significant security assurance to economically validate a given passport. MEMS resonators can also be used to economically authenticate pharmaceuticals since counterfeit drugs are increasingly prevalent (the World Health Organization projects a $75 billion counterfeit market in 2010) and have caused deaths.