> > Most noise is quantum noise (including the one quoted, even though electron avalanche is a classic phenomenon, in semiconductors it's going to have quantum effects)
> > But in the end it doesn't matter, any unpredictable, non manipulable source of randomness is fine. Other sources of noise in electrical circuits (apart from quantum noise origins) are interference (like the 60Hz hum, radio interference, and even background radiation)
Every TRNG I've seen so far that uses "zener noise" is actually using the reverse breakdown voltage across the emitter-base junction of a cheap NPN transistor. This is a zener diode! The reason this form of zener is used is simply because the fab does not bother to put in any effort to reduce the avalanche noise. Noise like that makes zeners sold as zeners unpopular.
Zener avalanche noise is unpredictable. How is an attacker supposed to guess when the next electron/hole pair is going to be created in the depletion region? Physically, what happens is the emitter-base junction is reverse biased, turning it into a diode that is blocking current from flowing from the emitter to the base. Every once in a while, due to thermal noise and likely quantum effects, an electron jumps up a valence level, creating an electron/hole pair in the middle of the reversed-biased N/P junction, where there is a strong electric field. This launches the electron in one direction and the hole in the other, where they gain speed rapidly. The electron has higher mobility and will gain enough speed to bang into other electron/hole pairs, creating an avalanche of electrons.
There is no known way for anyone to guess when the next avalanche will occur, or how large it will be, so long as there is no outside signal controlling this effect. Implemented poorly, it can just put out power supply noise, and not true unpredictable entropy. Implemented well, it is a solid, reliable, cheap, and fast entropy source. It is absolutely critical that a zener noise TRNG has an open auditable design!
As for "quantum" effects, I consider that marketing fluff. What we need is provable, reliable unpredictability, not some radioactive decay or photon emission. We don't need 100% unbiased unpredictability either, just a signal that cannot be predicted with much accuracy.
As far as I'm aware, this means you could effect the numbers, by varying temperature.