The IIS Chip Gallery
Modular_Exponentiation (1991)
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| Application | Cryptography |
| Technology | 1200 |
| Manufacturer | VLSI Tech |
| Type | Semester Thesis |
| Package | DIP64 |
| Dimensions | 3000μm x 30000μm |
| Gates | 4 kGE |
| Voltage | 5 V |
| Clock | 25 MHz |
This chip can calculate the function X^E mod C where the numbers X, E and C can be very large (hundreds of bits). Due to the limited silicon area, this chip can not perform the whole operation, but has to be controlled through a microprocessor. Such an operation is necessary for common public key crypto algorithms such as RSA.
The implemented chip can calculate numbers up to 30bits. However, the chip is designed to be cascadable, and with some external control it is possible to design a system with arbitrary bit lengths.