Reward-based Blockchain Infrastructure for 3D IC Supply Chain Provenance

TL;DR

This work tackles the challenge of securing cross-border, heterogeneous 2.5D/3D IC supply chains by introducing a reward-based blockchain infrastructure that provides provenance across consortium blockchains and a multi-chain reputation system. The approach combines a DAG-based provenance model, a Trusted Authority framework, and an AIMD-style reputation update mechanism to incentivize trustworthy behavior across untrusted and trusted networks. Key contributions include the dual-layer architecture for cross-chain trust, a formal reputation scheme with cross-chain penalties, and a comprehensive simulation platform and performance evaluation. The proposed framework promises improved traceability, data integrity, and reduced risk of hardware tampering in the evolving landscape of HI and 3D ICs.

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for enhanced performance and power efficiency, the semiconductor industry has witnessed a paradigm shift toward heterogeneous integration, giving rise to 2.5D/3D chips. These chips incorporate diverse chiplets, manufactured globally and integrated into a single chip. Securing these complex 2.5D/3D integrated circuits (ICs) presents a formidable challenge due to inherent trust issues within the semiconductor supply chain. Chiplets produced in untrusted locations may be susceptible to tampering, introducing malicious circuits that could compromise sensitive information. This paper introduces an innovative approach that leverages blockchain technology to establish traceability for ICs and chiplets throughout the supply chain. Given that chiplet manufacturers are dispersed globally and may operate within different blockchain consortiums, ensuring the integrity of data within each blockchain ledger becomes imperative. To address this, we propose a novel dual-layer approach for establishing distributed trust across diverse blockchain ledgers. The lower layer comprises of a blockchain-based framework for IC supply chain provenance that enables transactions between blockchain instances run by different consortiums, making it possible to trace the complete provenance DAG of each IC. The upper layer implements a multi-chain reputation scheme that assigns reputation scores to entities while specifically accounting for high-risk transactions that cross blockchain trust zones. This approach enhances the credibility of the blockchain data, mitigating potential risks associated with the use of multiple consortiums and ensuring a robust foundation for securing 2.5D/3D ICs in the evolving landscape of heterogeneous integration.

Figures (6)

• Figure 1: Proposed blockchain-based traceability framework for chiplet and IC supply chain provenance.
• Figure 2: Semiconductor supply chain represented as a DAG.
• Figure 3: Proposed blockchain-based framework implemented with Tendermint.
• Figure 4: Evolution of absolute and normalized reputation with the number of transactions for different defect probabilities ($d$) and multiplicative decrease factors ($m$). Figure (a) & (c) show the absolute reputation that starts at $0$ and increases/decreases according to \ref{['eq:rep-gain', 'eq:rep-loss-manufacturer', 'eq:rep-loss-seller-1', 'eq:rep-loss-seller-2']}. Figure (b) & (d) show the normalized reputation that starts at $1.0$ and can only decrease, as per \ref{['eq:normalized-rep']}.
• Figure 5: Evolution of absolute and normalized reputation of chiplet manufacturers and distributors, aggregated by consortiums, over an end-to-end simulation consisting of $10^6$ transactions. Green and red lines indicate the mean reputation of trusted and untrusted consortiums, respectively. Shaded regions around the lines indicate the $95^{th}$ percentile value. Similar trends are seen for IC manufacturers and distributors.