Research Projects

Generators of random sequences used in high-end applications such as cryptography rely on entropy sources for their indeterminism. Physical processes governed by the laws of quantum mechanics are excellent sources of entropy available in nature. However, extracting enough entropy from such systems for generating truly random sequences is challenging while maintaining the feasibility of the extraction procedure for real-world applications. This patent describes a compact and an all-electronic van der Waals heterostructure-based device capable of detecting discrete charge fluctuations for extracting entropy from physical processes and. The device is used for the generation of independent and identically distributed true random sequences. A record-high value (greater than 0.98 bits/bit) of min-entropy is extracted from the random sequence generated by the device. The entropy generation rate is tunable over multiple orders of magnitude by the bias current. The device shows the persistence of the underlying physical process for temperatures ranging from cryogenic to ambient conditions. The random nature of the generated sequences is verified using tests such as NIST SP 800-90B standard and other statistical measures. In addition, the suitability of the random sequence for cryptographic applications is verified using the NIST SP 800-22 standard.