Microcontroller provides an interoperable, secure and cost-effective solution

The Maxim Integrated DeepCover secure microcontroller MAX32520, available now from RS Components, offers an interoperable, secure, and cost-effective solution to create new generations of trusted embedded systems and communication devices including IoT, IoT gateways, and wireless access points.

The device includes the company's patented ChipDNATM PUF technology. ChipDNA technology involves a PUF that allows cost-effective protection against invasive physical attacks. Employing the random variation of semiconductor device characteristics that typically occur during wafer fabrication, the ChipDNA circuit produces a unique output value which is repeatable over time, temperature, and operating voltage. Efforts to probe or observe ChipDNA operation alters the underlying circuit characteristics, blocking discovery of the unique value employed by the chip cryptographic functions. The device uses the ChipDNA output as key content to cryptographically secure all device stored data, which includes user firmware. User firmware encryption offers ultimate software IP protection. The technology can also generate a private key for the ECDSA signing operation.

The device integrates an Arm Cortex-M4 processor, 2MB of Flash, 136KB of system RAM + 34KB ECC, 8KB of OTP memory and 128KB of boot ROM. The MAX32520 provides a FIPS/NIST compliant TRNG, environmental and tamper detection circuitry to facilitate system-level security.

Typical applications cover embedded connected systems; secure industrial appliances, sensors, and controllers; IoT nodes and gateways; embedded communication equipment (routers, gateways, etc.) and set-top boxes.