Hardware-level attacks pose a serious threat for the integrity and confidentiality of electronic systems. For example, optical probing, which is a relatively new form of attack against integrated circuits, enables the contactless extraction of secret information and has been successfully applied on several secure systems. Despite the severe implications of this type of passive attack, no relevant countermeasures are being deployed so far. This project, a collaboration between the University of Bremen, TU Berlin and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), aims at investigating methods that enable the protection of future integrated nano-circuits against optical probing attacks.

The candidate's main tasks would be:

• Research on and development of techniques against optical probing attacks at design level
• Design and verification of a cell library that is robust against optical probing attacks
• Independent and committed work in close cooperation with internal and external project partners

The expected profile of this candidate is as follows:

• Completed university studies in electrical engineering or computer science (master's degree, university diploma) or a comparable degree
• Good knowledge in the field of microelectronics
• Knowledge of (mixed-signal) circuit design and VLSI is helpful