Introduction
The A-QRNG is a fully open-source quasi-random number generator designed at the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil that features a mousetrap asynchronous design that exploits PVT variations as a source of variability through time displacement. One of its main advantages is that it employs a fully digital design with a minimal area drawback. 
Picture 1 - Block Diagram of the A-QRNG Circuit
Usually, Pseudo-Random Number Generators (PRNG), using the Linear-feedback shift register have low variability; yet, if the designer needs more, he would probably rely on non-digital circuits that gather entropy from other sources such as background radiation. This project aims to establish a middle ground, providing more variability than a standard PRNG without the area and design time drawback of a True-Random Number Generator.
Design Goals
This project was part of my undergraduate research on asynchronous circuits; however, I was only able to test it on FPGAs during the project's development [1]. The tape out would allow the evaluation of variability through the usage of a NIST benchmark under different temperature and voltage characteristics.
Team Members
Rodrigo N. Wuerdig (undergraduate), Marcos Sartori (Ph.D. candidate), and Ney Calazans (Professor)
Bibliography
The A-QRNG is a fully open-source quasi-random number generator designed at the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul that features a mousetrap asynchronous design that exploits PVT variations as a source of variability through time displacement.