Optical-Anisotropy-Exploited Irreproducible Functions Using Microwrinkles

Information security is of utmost importance in the current digital age due to the rapid advancement of technology and the expansion of digital systems. With the growth and proliferation of digital data, it is crucial to defend against unauthorized access, manipulation, and cyber threats. We propose a physical unclonable function (PUF) that utilizes random wrinkles based on reactive mesogens (RMs) with optical anisotropy properties, cost-effectiveness, and processability. The random-wrinkles PUF represents a random pattern between cross-polarizers due to birefringence of the RM molecules. Additionally, interference colors of specific wavelengths can be obtained by utilizing a wave plate depending on the orientation of the RM molecules. This pattern of interference colors at specific wavelengths is a multifactor of the PUF, which shows potential for use in anticounterfeiting technology and authentication.