Patent ID: 6853085

Claim:
A method of securing a multi-dimensionally constructed chip stack, the method which comprises: providing a chip stack having a plurality of part chips connected to one another at respective contact areas, at least one of the part chips including functional components; providing respective conductor tracks within the part chips; providing feed-through contacts at the respective contact areas for interconnecting the conductor tracks in the part chips such that that a continuous electrical signal path running through the part chips is formed; transmitting an electrical signal from a transmitting device provided at a first end of the continuous electrical signal path to a receiving device provided at a second end of the continuous electrical signal path; providing a continuous electrical reference signal path running from the transimitting device to the receiving device; transmitting an electrical reference signal over the continuous electrical reference signal path at the same time as the electrical signal is transmitted; and determining a damage to the chip stack by a determining device operatively connected to the receiving device when the electrical signal cannot be received, the determining device ensuring deactivation of security-relevant functional components in the part chips upon determination of damage in the chip stack.