Self-erasable and rewritable optoexcitonic platform for anti-tamper hardware

Abstract

An anti-tamper module includes a substrate and a photoisomerization (PI) layer formed on the substrate. The PI layer comprises molecules configured to transition from a first state to a second state in response to exposure to a first type of light and transition from the second state to the first state in response to exposure to a second type of light, and transitioning a selected portion of the PI layer to the first state while surrounding portions of the PI layer remain in the second state causes physical deformation of the PI layer. An excitonic layer is arranged on the PI layer. An electrical characteristic of the excitonic layer is sensitive to strain caused by the physical deformation of the PI layer such that an excitonic property of the excitonic layer changes in a region corresponding to the selected portion of the PI layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An anti-tamper module, comprising:
 a substrate;   a photoisomerization (PI) layer formed on the substrate, wherein the PI layer comprises molecules configured to transition from a first state to a second state in response to exposure to a first type of light and transition from the second state to the first state in response to exposure to a second type of light, and wherein transitioning a selected portion of the PI layer to the first state while surrounding portions of the PI layer remain in the second state causes physical deformation of the PI layer; and   an excitonic layer arranged on the PI layer, wherein an electrical characteristic of the excitonic layer is sensitive to strain caused by the physical deformation of the PI layer such that an excitonic property of the excitonic layer changes in a region corresponding to the selected portion of the PI layer.   
     
     
         2 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the PI layer comprises an azobenzene-based molecule. 
     
     
         3 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the PI layer comprises one of a diarylethene-based molecule and a spiropyran-based molecule. 
     
     
         4 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical characteristic of the excitonic layer is a band gap and the excitonic property is photoluminescence. 
     
     
         5 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 4 , wherein the band gap of the excitonic layer shifts 25 meV˜100 meV in response to a strain of 1%˜2% caused by the physical deformation of the PI layer. 
     
     
         6 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the excitonic layer is comprised of a transition metal dichalcogenide material. 
     
     
         7 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the excitonic layer is comprised of tungsten diselenide. 
     
     
         8 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the excitonic layer has a thickness less than ten nm. 
     
     
         9 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the excitonic layer is a monolayer. 
     
     
         10 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the PI layer is a monolayer. 
     
     
         11 . The anti-tamper module of  claim 1 , wherein the PI layer includes multiple layers. 
     
     
         12 . A semiconductor device comprising the anti-tamper module of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . An electronic device comprising the anti-tamper module of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         14 . A container comprising the anti-tamper module of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 forming a photoisomerization (PI) layer on a substrate, wherein the PI layer comprises molecules configured to transition from a first state to a second state in response to exposure to a first type of light and transition from the second state to the first state in response to exposure to a second type of light, and wherein transitioning a selected portion of the PI layer to the first state while surrounding portions of the PI layer remain in the second state causes physical deformation of the PI layer; and   arranging an excitonic layer on the PI layer, wherein an electrical characteristic of the excitonic layer is sensitive to strain caused by the physical deformation of the PI layer such that excitonic property of the excitonic layer changes in a region corresponding to the selected portion of the PI layer.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the PI layer comprises one of an azobenzene-based molecule, a diarylethene-based molecule, and a spiropyran-based molecule. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the electrical characteristic of the excitonic layer is a band gap, wherein the excitonic property is photoluminescence, and wherein the band gap of the excitonic layer shifts 25 meV˜100 meV in response to a strain of 1%˜2% caused by the physical deformation of the PI layer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the excitonic layer is comprised of a transition metal dichalcogenide material. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the excitonic layer is comprised of tungsten diselenide. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 exposing the PI layer to the first type of light to transition the molecules of the PI layer from the first state to the second state; and   exposing selected portions of the PI layer to the second type of light to transition the molecules of the PI layer in the selected portions from the second state to the first state.