Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) for Hardware Security in Advanced Packaging

By Himanandhan Reddy Kottur, Pavanbabu Arjunamahanthi, M. Shafkat M. Khan, Liton Kumar Biswas, Nitin Varshney and Navid Asadizanjani
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Florida, USA

Abstract

As hardware security threats escalate across semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging, there is a growing need for novel physical mechanisms to counter sophisticated attacks such as tampering, counterfeiting, and supply chain infiltration. This paper presents Nanoelectromechanical Systems (NEMS) as an emerging class of hardware security primitives that enable physical assurance, tamper detection, and authentication at the device level. Leveraging mechanisms such as NEMS-based Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs), shape memory materials, resonance-based fingerprints, and physical unlocking architectures, these systems offer enhanced re silience to reverse engineering, side-channel attacks, and environmental degradation. By harnessing mechanical unpredictability and fabrication-induced nanoscale variability, NEMS technologies introduce a physically robust and low-power alternative to conventional digital security methods. Their seamless integration into standard semiconductor workflows paves the way for scalable, verifiable, and secure solutions across defense, aerospace, critical infrastructure, and consumer electronics.

Keywords: NEMS, Hardware Security, Advanced Packaging, Resonance Fingerprinting, Anti-Counterfeiting

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