Starting from a chip, our experts process and extract a partial or complete electrical schematic.
Circuit extraction allows to :
- Meet our clients’ needs regarding intellectual property protection
- Replicate a circuit exactly, especially in cases of obsolescence
- Perform competitive intelligence, particularly in sensitive sectors such as defense.
Circuit extraction is an advanced reverse engineering technique that involves thoroughly analyzing an electronic chip to reveal its internal architecture and associated electrical schematics.
Through this process, our experts examine each layer of the integrated circuit and identify the electrical schematics that govern its operation.
This method is essential in various contexts, such as :
- Competitive analysis
- Requalification of obsolete components
- Repair of critical systems for which documentation is no longer available.
The steps involved in circuit extraction require the use of sophisticated tools, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM), combined with electronic design software capable of recreating a detailed and functional schematic of the circuit. This process enables the faithful reconstruction of internal connections, active and passive components, and the overall design of the analyzed component.
Circuit extraction offers several key advantages:
- Counterfeit protection: By extracting and analyzing a circuit, it becomes possible to verify if a technology has been illegally copied or if it complies with existing patents.
- Restoration and reproduction of obsolete components: In industries where component availability is critical (aerospace, defense, medical), circuit extraction enables the recreation of components to extend the lifespan of systems.
- Optimization and innovation: This technique provides valuable information to improve existing designs or innovate based on current technologies without the need for original blueprints.
- Security evaluation: In the context of semiconductor security audits, circuit extraction allows for the verification that no vulnerabilities or undocumented components have been introduced.
Since 2022, SERMA Group has acquired Microtech Laboratories, an electronics expertise and analysis laboratory based in Plano, near Dallas, Texas. This independent laboratory specializes in semiconductor reverse engineering, with circuit extraction as one of their core competencies.