Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval

A new data retrieval approach utilizing selective staining is explored to differentiate '0' from '1' cells in EEPROM and Flash memory with node sizes of 40 nm and 250 nm. A two-step staining process based on selective oxide etching and copper galvanic displacement deposition is i...

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Main Authors: Zeng, Xiaomei, Liu, Qing, Tay, Jing Yun, Gan, Chee Lip
Other Authors: School of Materials Science and Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167780
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1677802023-05-25T15:31:44Z Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval Zeng, Xiaomei Liu, Qing Tay, Jing Yun Gan, Chee Lip School of Materials Science and Engineering Temasek Laboratories @ NTU Engineering::Materials Data Retrieval Non-Volatile Memory A new data retrieval approach utilizing selective staining is explored to differentiate '0' from '1' cells in EEPROM and Flash memory with node sizes of 40 nm and 250 nm. A two-step staining process based on selective oxide etching and copper galvanic displacement deposition is introduced. The underlying mechanism is attributed to the difference in electric field across the tunnel oxide, which originates from the presence or absence of charges stored in the floating gates. With proper sample preparation, the selectively stained and non-stained cells can be characterized with optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, to facilitate direct read-out of data in a time-efficient manner. The physical layout of individual memory cells with respect to the stored data is identified. A systematic data retrieval is achieved with an accuracy of 95% at individual bit level. This selective staining technique marks the data permanently on the chip that allows for subsequent analysis and evidence retention. National Research Foundation (NRF) Submitted/Accepted version This work was supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, through the National Cybersecurity Research and Development Program/Cyber-Hardware Forensic and Assurance Evaluation Research and Development Program, under Award NRF2018NCR-NCR009-0001. 2023-05-23T05:45:28Z 2023-05-23T05:45:28Z 2022 Journal Article Zeng, X., Liu, Q., Tay, J. Y. & Gan, C. L. (2022). Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval. IEEE Transactions On Information Forensics and Security, 17, 1884-1892. https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TIFS.2022.3172222 1556-6013 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167780 10.1109/TIFS.2022.3172222 2-s2.0-85129415565 17 1884 1892 en NRF2018NCR-NCR009- 0001 IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security © 2022 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. The published version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/TIFS.2022.3172222. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Engineering::Materials
Data Retrieval
Non-Volatile Memory
spellingShingle Engineering::Materials
Data Retrieval
Non-Volatile Memory
Zeng, Xiaomei
Liu, Qing
Tay, Jing Yun
Gan, Chee Lip
Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
description A new data retrieval approach utilizing selective staining is explored to differentiate '0' from '1' cells in EEPROM and Flash memory with node sizes of 40 nm and 250 nm. A two-step staining process based on selective oxide etching and copper galvanic displacement deposition is introduced. The underlying mechanism is attributed to the difference in electric field across the tunnel oxide, which originates from the presence or absence of charges stored in the floating gates. With proper sample preparation, the selectively stained and non-stained cells can be characterized with optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, to facilitate direct read-out of data in a time-efficient manner. The physical layout of individual memory cells with respect to the stored data is identified. A systematic data retrieval is achieved with an accuracy of 95% at individual bit level. This selective staining technique marks the data permanently on the chip that allows for subsequent analysis and evidence retention.
author2 School of Materials Science and Engineering
author_facet School of Materials Science and Engineering
Zeng, Xiaomei
Liu, Qing
Tay, Jing Yun
Gan, Chee Lip
format Article
author Zeng, Xiaomei
Liu, Qing
Tay, Jing Yun
Gan, Chee Lip
author_sort Zeng, Xiaomei
title Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
title_short Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
title_full Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
title_fullStr Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
title_full_unstemmed Selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
title_sort selective staining on non-volatile memory cells for data retrieval
publishDate 2023
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167780
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