“World’s First” Authentication Chip Protect Consumers from Counterfeit Batteries and other Electronic Accessories

Infineon Technologies AG has introduced what’s said to be the world’s first chip that uses asymmetric authentication featuring elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and integrated temperature sensor that can be used by battery and electronics manufacturers to detect unauthorized accessories and after-market replacements. This counterfeit detection capability helps manufacturer’s ensure the intended user experience and protect against safety risks posed by unauthorized and untested accessories or batteries.

The new ORIGA SLE95050 family includes a version with an integrated temperature sensor that can further improve the safety level of batteries for electronic devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones and portable computers. The ORIGA SLE95050 can also be used for printer cartridges, replacement parts, medical disposables, networking equipment or other accessories, such as earphones, speakers, docking stations and chargers. With SLE95050 production start projected for the end of 2008, first consumer products – like digital cameras – integrating Infineon’s authentication chips are expected to hit the shelves during the second half of 2009.

“Security and safety have become a key challenge for designers and developers of most systems and applications. We developed the SLE95050 in response to our customers’ request to help protect a safe and consistent end-user experience. Our innovative asymmetric cryptography approach, using two different keys for encryption and decryption, provides improved security at reduced overall system cost,” explained Sandro Cerato, Vice President and General Manager of the ASIC Design and Security Business Unit at Infineon Technologies. “Our authentication solutions open up a new dimension in brand protection and clone prevention for designers and developers of many different types of systems.”

ORIGA SLE95050: Improved Authentication and Temperature Monitoring at Reduced System Cost

The ORIGA SLE95050 family uses ECC asymmetric authentication, which uses two different keys (one public, one private) to encrypt and decrypt information. ECC is a considerably more modern encryption/decryption algorithm than today’s asymmetric systems, like RSA, and symmetric systems that use the same key for encryption and decryption, like AES and DES. The weak spot of symmetric cryptography is that the whole system is compromised, once this key is retrieved. Using ECC significantly increases the level of security as the private key is hidden in the ORIGA chip.

The benefit of the ORIGA SLE95050 is that applications do not require an additional security chip inside the host device, e.g. the camera. With ORIGA, the implementation in the host device can be realized in software without compromising security. The private key is protected in the ORIGA SLE95050 chip which is integrated into the accessory or the battery. For comparison, symmetric solutions require an additional authenticating chip in the host device for a secure implementation.

The ORIGA SLE95050 also complies with emerging battery safety regulations, for example in Japan, that require temperature monitoring of Lithium based batteries. It has a built-in analog-to-digital converter that allows convenient temperature monitoring from either its on-chip or an external sensor. This is done by just sending a bus command via Infineon’s proprietary single wire interface. This single wire interface of the ORIGA SLE95050 allows smooth system integration and remote powering over this single line. With non-volatile memory (NVM) of up to 1 kbit including NVM for write-protection and unique chip ID, ORIGA also provides the added benefit of personalization by storing data about the specific accessory, the logistics chain and the usage of the accessory itself.

The SLE95050 operates at the temperature range from -25 °C to 85 °C and at an operating voltage range of 2.0 V to 5.5 V.

Infineon Technologies AG