Adam Brant, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Nokomis Inc.

Abstract: Counterfeit electronics, particularly those that jeopardize applications where radiation hardness is a critical factor, pose a substantial threat to military and aerospace systems. The frequency with which these parts are used has accelerated as space becomes more accessible to both military and commercial ventures. The supply chain continues to be vulnerable to a variety of these counterfeit parts, as acquiring counterfeit radiation hardened parts from overseas markets has become easier in recent years. The risk of supply chain infiltration with these types of counterfeit threats by adversaries with increasing access to supply chains is clear, and was proven out in the crash of the Russian space probe Phobos-Grunt. Detection of counterfeit radiation hardened electronics have been proven to be very difficult using conventional approaches, which has frustrated prevention of these types of counterfeit parts threats from entering the supply chain.

Radiated Electromagnetic Emissions (REME) analysis has been demonstrated capable of providing reliable detection of multiple counterfeit modalities. This presentation will present the results of REME analysis used to identify counterfeit radiation hardened parts using methodologies compliant with the SAE AS6171/14 specification. Radiated electromagnetic signatures serve as a fingerprint for the internal circuitry, layout, and functionality of the part, and these signatures have been shown to provide clear indicators of counterfeit parts. Recent results have demonstrated the ability to detect sophisticated types of mismarked radiation hardened parts, and these results are extendable to intentionally modified components that could be used to subvert electronic systems, and radiation hardened parts that have been degraded due to aging. In addition, this presentation will include recent results of pilot testing for screening radiation hardened components for counterfeits with a large commercial entity.