Patent ID: 8863230

Claim:
A method of authenticating a combination of a programmable integrated circuit (IC) and a non-volatile memory device, wherein the non-volatile memory device comprises a configuration data stream implementing a user design in the programmable IC, comprising: programming the user design into the programmable IC, wherein a programmed IC is produced; disabling a first portion of the user design in the programmed IC; performing a function on a first value comprising an identifier unique to the programmable IC and on a second value comprising an identifier unique to the non-volatile memory device, wherein the function provides a key specific to the combination of the programmable IC and the non-volatile memory device; comparing the key with an expected value; and enabling, when the key matches the expected value, the first portion of the user design in the programmed IC; wherein the disabling, the performing, the comparing, and the enabling are all performed by a second portion of the user design in the programmed IC.