Complementary logics vs masked logics: Which countermeasure is a better selection?

In this paper, we focus on comparison between the complementary logics and masked logics as countermeasures against side channel attacks and we develop AES co-processors to which the countermeasures are applied for this purpose. To evaluate the difference that depends on target devices and process, the co-processors are mounted on 130 nm-ASIC, 90 nm-ASIC and FPGA. Through our performance and security evaluation of the circuits, we demonstrate that the complementary and masked logics do not have the difference on the implementation performance but masked logic is advantageous from the viewpoint of side channel security in a semi-custom design flow.