PUF (Physical Unclonable Function) is a security technology that leverages minute physical variations occurring during the semiconductor manufacturing process. As semiconductors are fabricated at the nanometer scale, the physical properties of every transistor cannot be identical, resulting in electronic property differences such as threshold voltage or gain factor. These variations generate digital patterns of 0s and 1s, creating a unique “digital fingerprint” for each chip. This fingerprint provides a unique output (response) for a given input (challenge), forming the basis of a security function.

Implementing PUF with ternary logic increases information density compared to binary, thereby reducing the energy required for information processing. Additionally, introducing an extra state (“don’t care” or X) can enhance security; this “X” state is used to eliminate unstable or unreadable cells, improving the reliability and security of the PUF.

Ternell’s T-PUF (Ternary-PUF) utilizes a nonlinear logic structure based on ternary semiconductor technology to provide a robust hardware security solution with high stability and low power consumption. It remains stable against external environmental changes, and through exponentially expanded encryption key generation, implements a physical anti-counterfeiting device that is extremely difficult to tamper with or predict patterns.