ALPhANOV, the Optics and Lasers Technology Centre, and eShard, a specialist in embedded device security, have partnered since 2015 to develop cutting-edge tools for the security evaluation of microelectronic components. Their collaboration has produced a joint application laboratory purpose-built for hardware security analysts working on integrated circuit (IC) evaluation, laser fault injection (LFI) research, and photonic side-channel analysis.

A dedicated IC security evaluation lab

Located at ALPhANOV's premises in Talence, France, the laboratory combines the latest generation of optical and laser instrumentation with esDynamic, eShard's scientific platform for IC security analysis. It serves hardware security teams looking to evaluate and test advanced LFI equipment, conduct security studies on integrated circuits, and push the boundaries of fault injection research through joint R&D.

The lab also hosts Laser Fault Injection training courses through the PYLA Training Centre, covering both foundational glitching concepts and advanced multi-fault injection methodologies.

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Laser fault injection capabilities

The lab is equipped with a full range of laser microscope stations to support single and multi-fault injection campaigns across a wide range of targets and attack scenarios.

The S-LMS (Single Laser Microscope Station) supports precise single-spot laser fault injection using the latest generation of laser sources. The D-LMS (Double Laser Microscope Station) enables simultaneous injection from two spatially independent laser sources, opening up spatially dissociated double-fault attacks. The Q-LMS (Quadruple Laser Microscope Station) scales up to four independent laser sources for complex multi-fault spatial and temporal campaigns targeting hardened secure elements and ASICs.

Beyond standard near-infrared injection, the lab offers picosecond-domain fault injection via the LFI Pico source for high-frequency circuit analysis, and non-linear two-photon femtosecond injection for improved spatial resolution on dense, modern process nodes.

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Side-channel and photoemission analysis

Complementing its fault injection capabilities, the lab supports photoemission imaging for spatial analysis of photonic emissions across a component, and photoemission point detection for precise temporal analysis of photon emissions. Thermal laser stimulation at 1424 nm enables side-channel analysis of memory states through local transistor heating, providing unique visibility into IC behavior under controlled thermal stress.

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Unified hardware control with esDynamic

All lab equipment is operated through esDynamic, eShard's platform for IC security analysis. Python-based notebooks and dedicated widgets allow analysts to drive hardware instruments efficiently, manage multi-variable fault campaigns, map zones of interest, and synthesize results from characterization through exploitation, in a single, unified environment.