Smart Anti-Tamper Conformal Coating Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Topic No.: N132-118 Topic Title: Smart Anti-Tamper Conformal Coating Proposal No.: N132-118-0245 Firm: Physical Optics Corporation Applied Technologies Division 1845 West 205th Street Torrance, California 90501 Contact: Sergey Sandomirsky Phone: (310) 320-3088 Web Site: www.poc.com Abstract: To address the Navy need for innovative conformal coating for integrated circuits that achieves a higher level of antitamper (AT) protection without compromising circuit performance, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Smart Antitamper Conformal Coating (SMATCOC). This proposed coating is based on a multiple-layer architecture combining smart, novel materials, which encapsulate printed circuit boards (PCBs) of critical technology (CT) components. This innovative design will enable the SMATCOC to inform, in real time, a signal-monitoring field-programmable gate array (FPGA) of direct and indirect attempts to reverse-engineer CT. The SMATCOC will not obstruct normal operation of electronic components; moreover it will improve their performance due to higher heat dissipation. As a result, this coating offers antitampering protection for CTs, which currently does not exist, and correspondingly directly addresses the PEO IWS 1.0 requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of SMATCOC by computer simulation and experiments with selected materials. In Phase II, POC plans to develop prototypes for evaluation of their performance against reverse engineering attacks. Benefits: Upon successful accomplishment of Phase II, we anticipate that SMATCOC technology will be beneficial for the antitampering protection of critical electronic components in Navy, Air Force, MDA, and Army weapons. It will be also marketable in a wide range of large and diverse markets that require special protection against tampering by terrorists, organized crime, or spying networks, especially in highly vulnerable environments including residential, banking, and financial centers; political centers; major corporations; and for Homeland Security, physical protection, and many other areas. For example, SMATCOC-protected specialized processors present in high-end cell phones, PDAs, and DVDs (especially Blu-ray disks) would be virtually tamperproof and greatly decrease the possibility of reverse engineering by China or other countries known to pirate electronics. Return