Evaluation of ASIC Implementation of Physical Random Number Generators Using RS Latches

Embedded devices such as smart cards and smart phones are used for secure systems, for example automated banking machines and electronic money. The security of an embedded device depends strongly on secret information; cryptographic keys, nonces for authentication or seeds for a pseudo random number generator, which is generated by a Physical True Random Number Generator (PTRNG). If a PTRNG generates random numbers with a low entropy, the security of the embedded device has a vulnerability because secret information may be predictable by attackers due to the low entropy. Hence PTRNGs are required to provide high-quality physical random numbers even in an undesirable environment, that is, low/high temperature or supply voltage. PTRNGs also must be small-scale and consume low power due to the limited hardware resources in embedded devices.