Speaker
Stewart J.Robson
Title
A Ring Oscillator Based Truly Random Number Generator
Abstract
Communication
security
is
a
very
important
part
of
modern
life.
A
crucial
aspect
of
security
is
the
ability
to
identify
with
100%
certainty
who
is
on
the
other
side
of
a
connection.
This
problem
can
be
overcome
through
the
use
of
random
number
generators,
which
create
unique
identities
for
each
person
in
a
network.
The
effectiveness
of
an
identity
is
directly
proportional
to
how
random
a
generator
is.
The
speed
at
which
a
random
number
can
be
delivered
is
a
critical
factor
in
the
design
of
a
random
number
generator.
This
thesis
covers
the
design
and
fabrication
of
three
ring
oscillator
based
truly
random
number
generators,
the
first
two
of
which
were
fabricated
in
0.13µm
CMOS
technology.
The
randomness
from
this
type
of
random
number
generator
originates
from
phase
noise
in
a
ring
oscillator.
The
second
and
third
ring
oscillators
were
designed
to
have
a
low
slew
rate
at
the
inverter
switching
threshold.
The
outputs
of
these
designs
showed
vast
increases
in
timing
jitter
compared
to
the
first
design.
The
third
design
exhibited
improved
randomness
with
respect
to
the
second
design.
Supervisors
Professors Bosco Leung and Guang Gong