Check out the other chapters in the Communication Series: The Cryptography Handbook
In cryptography and within embedded security ICs, the physically unclonable function (PUF) is used to create keys that are generated on-demand and instantaneously erased once used. Because PUF depends on random physical factors (unpredictable and uncontrollable) that exist natively and/or are incidentally introduced during a manufacturing process, it’s virtually impossible to duplicate or clone.
PUF technology natively generates a digital fingerprint for its associated security IC. That can be utilized as a unique key/secret to support cryptographic algorithms and services, including encryption/decryption, authentication, and digital signature.