| 摘要 |
Packaged integrated circuits (ICs) of some types, such as processors, are graded and sold according to a performance scale, such as maximum specified clock speed, set by the manufacturer as a result of testing. As a record of this grading some part of the package, usually the upper surface, is marked with the specified performance attribute. However, criminal activity has developed where the packaging is relabelled to show a higher specification so the ICs can be fraudulently resold at a higher price. To address this problem, the invention envisages that manufacturers maintaining a product database for each packaged IC which logs not only the performance specification, but also a digital signature derived from a speckle pattern obtained from the packaging. Subsequently, any packaged IC can be rescanned to interrogate its speckle pattern and recompute the signature. The signature is then used to find the product in the database, whereby the originally specified performance attribute is retrieved. The fraud is then detectable. This method can be used to test products returned under a warranty claim, for example.
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