Shining a light on counterfeit electronics

This is obviously a troubling trend and, unfortunately, one that isn't likely to decrease in the immediate future. As the semiconductor sector continues to grow (4% growth expected in 2012, 9% in 2013) it is quite reasonable to expect that we will see more counterfeit parts in the market. The problem is already particularly acute in some significant sectors – particularly the higher unit cost military/aerospace sector or, more generally, the high reliability electronics sector. For instance, earlier this year, the US Senate Armed Services Committee reported that it had found 1800 cases of fake chips installed in US military aircraft last year. This is a staggering figure and although it is easy to suggest that procurers stick to known reliable suppliers, the issue is not as clear cut as the components being outright fakes. In many instances, the labelling on the component packaging is forged, giving false part numbers or manufacturer branding. Other counterfeit tactics include remarking genuine components to suggest a higher level of reliability or testing. Tackling the problem Already steps are being taken to counter this threat. For instance, the US Department of Defense has tightened its rules on electronics procurement and test companies have developed electrical tests for equipment manufacturers to check if they have genuine components. Other levels of inspection can also be conducted. This can be a simple visual check, looking for misspelt labels, incorrect date codes and so on, using a solvent to check marking permanence, or a more in depth microscopic inspection to examine the mould cavities in the packaging created in the manufacturing process. While these techniques can prove whether or not an electronic component is genuine or not, they are also labour intensive, slow and simply cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. The biggest challenge for anti counterfeit organisations and systems is that it is not possible to add many of the common anti counterfeit measures such as holograms or barcodes to electronic components as they would interfere with the manufacturing process. What is really required is a method that would mean any chip acquired from any source could quickly and reliably be checked to know where it came from, what specification it was and whether or not it was a genuine component. This would provide a powerful frontline of defence against electronic counterfeiters. Shining a light into the darkness There is a technology which can help in the fight against the counterfeiters. Laser Surface Authentication (LSA) does not add anything to a product, leaves nothing to be copied by counterfeiters and does not interfere with the manufacture of electronic components. LSA resulted from an accidental discovery following research into magnetic films at Imperial College and Durham University. The researchers realised that, when light is shone on a surface, the natural imperfections of the material produced a random scattering of light, which could be captured and stored as digital data, which could then be analysed. Ingenia has developed this technique to the point where it can be deployed as a highly secure and reliable anti counterfeiting measure. LSA shines a laser onto the surface of a product, measuring the naturally occurring microscopic imperfections inherent in any surface to rapidly analyse the surface of an item and give it a unique digital serial code. This code, which has been described as being like a fingerprint or DNA sequence for the item, is unique for every product scanned and can be used to identify the item unambiguously. As LSA measures naturally occurring imperfections and is not added by any manufacturing process, it means items can be identified at the unit level, rather than batch level. It also makes it exceptionally difficult to counterfeit. In order to do so, counterfeiters would have to be able to control the microscopic imperfections of a surface: something that not even the genuine manufacturers can do. Ingenia currently applies this technology to such industries as: luxury goods and pharmaceuticals, scanning the packaging in which products are placed; high value goods, such as currency; and security documentation, where the items are scanned directly. However LSA can also be applied by the electronics sector by scanning the individual chip packages. As LSA reads the inherent microscopic surface characteristics of any product, rather than adding elements, it does not affect the manufacturing process in any way. With LSA authenticated products everyone in the electronics supply chain could quickly and reliably scan and verify any component and be certain of exactly what chip they have before them at any given moment. Fighting back against the counterfeiters Concerns continue to grow over the number of counterfeit components on the market. This is not only as a result of illegitimate suppliers, but also of the number of fake products making their way in to legitimate supply chains. These concerns are not just regarding brands and manufacturers losing out financially, but also the major safety concerns associated with the sub standard quality of counterfeit or fraudulently labelled parts making their way in to end products – whether that is a consumer device or a military vehicle. This is a critical period for the electronics industry as the sophistication of counterfeiters has increased and their activity has certainly grown in the electronics sector. LSA represents the potential for a major breakthrough for a significant and commercially sensitive sector that is increasingly coming under threat from criminals and counterfeiters seeking to take advantage of its commercial success. By rolling out new technologies, such as LSA, as a complement to the anti counterfeiting strategies and techniques already in place, the electronics industry can make significant inroads into the counterfeiter's ability to profit from their fraudulent activity. These new technologies also provide a new layer of protection for manufacturers customers, ensuring that they are less likely to come into contact with potentially dangerous items. Andrew Gilbert is deputy managing director with Ingenia Technology.