Solution-Processed Carbon Nanotube True Random Number Generator
Abstract
With the growing adoption of interconnected electronic devices in consumer and industrial applications, there is an increasing demand for robust security protocols when transmitting and receiving sensitive data. Toward this end, hardware true random number generators (TRNGs), commonly used to create encryption keys, offer significant advantages over software pseudorandom number generators. However, the vast network of devices and sensors envisioned for the "Internet of Things" will require small, low-cost, and mechanically flexible TRNGs with low computational complexity. These rigorous constraints position solution-processed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as leading candidates for next-generation security devices. Here, we demonstrate the first TRNG using static random access memory (SRAM) cells based on solution-processed SWCNTs that digitize thermal noise to generate random bits. This bit generation strategy can be readily implemented in hardware with minimal transistor and computational overhead, resulting in an output stream that passes standardized statistical tests for randomness. By using solution-processed semiconducting SWCNTs in a low-power, complementary architecture to achieve TRNG, we demonstrate a promising approach for improving the security of printable and flexible electronics.
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NIST evaluation tests were chosen such that for each test, 56 bit streams containing 1096 bits were tested, except for the rank test, where 56 bit streams containing 100,000 bits each were tested; this variant was chosen and explained by Rojas et al.
“NIST evaluation tests were chosen such that for each test, 56 bit streams containing 1096 bits were tested (with the exception of the rank test, where 56 bit streams containing 100,000 bits each were tested). This variant of statistical analyses was chosen and explained by Rojas et al.14.”
From DNA synthesis for true random number generation (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- Gaviria Rojas, W. A., McMorrow, J. J., Geier, M. L., Tang, Q., Kim, C. H., Marks, T. J., & Hersam, M. C.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hersam, Mark C.
- Venue
- Nano Letters
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2017-07-07
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 4976-4981
- ISSN
- 1530-6984 (ISSN-L)
- 1530-6992
- OpenAlex
- W2727282932
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 7
- FWCI
- 7.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nano Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF-0845605)
- Office of Naval Research (N00014-11-1-0690)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Division of Materials Research (DMR-1121262)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Hardware and Architecture › Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Carbon Nanotubes in Composites
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Graphene research and applications
- Keywords
- true random number generator, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, hardware randomness, Internet of Things security, printed electronics, flexible electronics, cryptographic key generation
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