Generally, in the case of reverse engineering a microwave circuit, a visual inspection is all that is necessary due to the strong relationship of circuit function to circuit metal geometry. Through visual inspection of a circuit and basic knowledge of the dielectric substrate one can determine the frequency of operation, and general circuit functionality in addition to being able to copy the circuit into a simulation package and deriving further performance parameters. Microwave circuit obfuscation or tamper proofing is a key need for platforms that have a risk of being reverse engineered to determine circuit functionality, to locate areas for exploit, or simply to steal technology. Many methods currently used to achieve tamper proofing involve complex destructive methods that destroy the circuit upon detection of tampering. Many of these prior art solutions may be expensive and may not be employed in a design quickly due to their highly custom nature. Moreover, as the frequency is lowered, these types of packages may become impractical because of their large size.
An obfuscated radio frequency circuit and/or method of manufacturing such a circuit is needed to decrease one or more problems associated with one or more of the existing prior art circuits and/or methods of their manufacture.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds