RRAM random number generator based on train of pulses

In this paper, the modulation of the conductance levels of resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices is used for the generation of random numbers by applying a train of RESET pulses. The influence of the pulse amplitude and width on the device resistance is also analyzed. For each pulse characteristic, the number of pulses required to drive the device to a particular resistance threshold is variable, and it is exploited to extract random numbers. Based on this behavior, a random number generator (RNG) circuit is proposed. To assess the performance of the circuit, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) randomness tests are applied to evaluate the randomness of the bitstreams obtained. The experimental results show that four random bits are simultaneously obtained, passing all the applied tests without the need for post-processing. The presented method provides a new strategy to generate random numbers based on RRAMs for hardware security applications.
This research was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under Grant PID2019-103869RB-C33/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033, and the FEDER program under Grant TEC2017-84321-C4-1-R.
Peer Reviewed
Postprint (published version)