Laser-engraved holograms as entropy source for random number generators

Our study introduces a novel approach to true random number generation (TRNG) using speckle patterns generated by laser-engraved holograms on carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite substrates. Unlike previous methods, our approach simplifies the process by generating the necessary image dataset from a single microscope image of the engraved hologram. We achieve a high extraction ratio of 76 %, demonstrating the effectiveness of our TRNG. Moreover, our method successfully passes rigorous statistical tests proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), indicating its suitability for cryptographic and secure system applications. This work offers promising implications for enhancing security in various domains, from secure communication networks to IoT devices. • The impact of this contribution lies in that laser-engraved holograms on carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite substrates can serve as entropy source for True Random Number Generators (TRNGs), thus offering promising implications for enhancing security in various domains, from secure communication networks to IoT devices. The claimed novelties of our work are: • Investigation of a simple and low-cost manufacturing process based on laser-engraved holograms on CFRP for TRNG. • Extracting random numbers from speckle patterns with a high extraction ratio of 76 %. • Successfully passed all the rigorous statistical tests proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).