Multimodal Optical-Electronic Fingerprinting with Perovskite Nanoparticle-Based Physical Unclonable Functions

Perovskite nanoparticle (PNP) based Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) exploit nanoscale quantum phenomena to generate intrinsically unique optical and electronic fingerprints for hardware security. Owing to their high photoluminescence yield and facile processability, PNPs enable tamper-resistant, high-entropy key generation and multimodal encryption. Here, we demonstrate an optoelectronic PUF based on Br-rich mixed-halide PNPs. Stochastic fluorescent patterns arising from substrate irregularities and spin-coating dynamics produce optical signatures captured via standard microscopy. Post-deposition ligand exchange with shorter-chain ligands enhances interparticle coupling, yielding large current variability across electrodes and a balanced binary electrical signature. Optical and electrical responses are digitized via brightness and current thresholds to generate encrypted bit strings. The PUFs exhibit excellent robustness, uniqueness, and uniformity, achieving optical key densities up to ~1.4×10⁶ bits/mm² and passing NIST randomness tests. This work highlights ligand engineering as a route to scalable, multimodal perovskite PUFs for secure two-factor authentication.

Keywords: Physical Unclonable Functions, perovskite nanoparticles, NIST statistical randomness tests, multimodal two-factor authentication