True Random Number Generation Using Read Noise of Flash Memory Cells

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a novel technique for true random number generation using commercial off-the-shelf Flash memory. Flash memory cells are known to exhibit thermal noise and random telegraph noise during sensing of their threshold voltage. In order to extract this inherent noise properties of the Flash memory bits through a standard digital Flash memory interface, we utilize the program disturb and read noise characteristics, which are fundamental properties of all NAND Flash memory arrays. The proposed technique is experimentally demonstrated and evaluated using state-of-art Flash memory chips. The experimental evaluation shows that the proposed technique enables extraction of high quality, high throughput, controllable (or tunable), and temperature- and aging-tolerant random bits. The random bits generated by the proposed technique pass all tests in the National Institute of Standards and Technology statistical test suite. The advantages of the proposed technique are as follows: 1) it is cost-effective as it does not require any special circuitry or hardware modification; 2) it is tolerant to aging and temperature effects; 3) it is easy to implement in software and to deploy through software updates; and 4) it is widely applicable to all electronic devices utilizing modern NAND Flash memory chips.