TIPLock: Key-Compressed Logic Locking using Through-Input-Programmable Lookup-Tables

Abstract

Herein we explore using logic elements that can be programmed through their inputs for logic locking. For this purpose, we design a novel through-input-programmable (TIP) lookup-table (LUT) element and develop algorithms to find cuts in the circuit that can be mapped to such elements while maintaining programmability. Our proposed TIPLock flow achieves area savings of 50–70% compared to the traditional approach of using a key-vector-long scan-chain.