Limited basis quantum particle definitions in applications of quantum computing to electronic design automation processes

1. A method comprising:

by a computing system:

forming a quantum computing model to represent an electronic design automation (EDA) process for a circuit design, wherein:

the EDA process comprises a multi-patterning process to assign colors to geometric elements of the circuit design;

the quantum computing model comprises a quantum particle type defined to prohibit a non-physical state in the quantum computing model from occurring; and

generating a color assignment for the geometric elements of the circuit design through the quantum computing model; and

using the color assignment to support manufacture of circuit layers of the circuit design through multiple manufacturing steps.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-physical state prohibited by the quantum particle type is a state of the quantum computing model in which two quantum particles occupy a same model site of the quantum computing model.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the quantum computing model comprises an objective function that specifies a cost value for a given state of the quantum computing model; and

wherein generating the color assignment comprises determining a ground state with a minimum cost value for the quantum computing model.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a double-patterning process; and

comprising generating the quantum computing model such that only the quantum particle type exists in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site not occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the double-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the double-patterning process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

comprising generating the quantum computing model such that a first quantum particle type and a second quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site not occupied by any quantum particle corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

comprising generating the quantum computing model such that a first, second, third, and fourth quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the third quantum particle type corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process; and

further generating the quantum computing model by setting a penalty parameter to disincentivize a given model site being occupied by a quantum particle of the fourth quantum particle type.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing system comprises a quantum computing system that supports quantum annealing; and

wherein generating the coloring assignment comprises determining a ground state of the quantum computing model via quantum annealing.

8. A system comprising:

a quantum model engine configured to:

generate a quantum computing model to represent an electronic design automation (EDA) process for a circuit design, wherein:

the EDA process comprises a multi-patterning process to assign colors to geometric elements of the circuit design;

the quantum computing model comprises a quantum particle type defined to prohibit a non-physical state in the quantum computing model from occurring; and

generate a color assignment for the geometric elements of the circuit design through the quantum computing model; and

a manufacture support engine configured to use the color assignment to support manufacture of circuit layers of the circuit design through multiple manufacturing steps.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the non-physical state prohibited by the quantum particle type is a state of the quantum computing model in which two quantum particles occupy a same model site of the quantum computing model.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the quantum computing model comprises an objective function that specifies a cost value for a given state of the quantum computing model; and

wherein the quantum model engine is configured to generate the color assignment by determining a ground state with a minimum cost value for the quantum computing model.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a double-patterning process; and

wherein the quantum model engine is configured to generate the quantum computing model such that only the quantum particle type exists in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site not occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the double-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the double-patterning process.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

wherein the quantum model engine is configured to generate the quantum computing model such that a first quantum particle type and a second quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site not occupied by any quantum particle corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

wherein the quantum model engine is configured to generate the quantum computing model such that a first, second, third, and fourth quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the third quantum particle type corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process; and

wherein the quantum model engine is further configured to generate the quantum computing model by setting a penalty parameter to disincentivize a given model site being occupied by a quantum particle of the fourth quantum particle type.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the quantum model engine is implemented by a quantum computing system that supports quantum annealing; and

wherein the quantum model engine is configured to generate the coloring assignment by determining a ground state of the quantum computing model via quantum annealing.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computing system to:

generate a quantum computing model to represent an electronic design automation (EDA) process for a circuit design, wherein:

the EDA process comprises a multi-patterning process to assign colors to geometric elements of the circuit design;

the quantum computing model comprises a quantum particle type that is defined to prohibit a non-physical state in the quantum computing model from occurring; and

generate a color assignment for the geometric elements of the circuit design through the quantum computing model; and

use the color assignment to support manufacture of circuit layers of the circuit design through multiple manufacturing steps.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the non-physical state prohibited by the quantum particle type is a state of the quantum computing model in which two quantum particles occupy a same model site.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the quantum computing model comprises an objective function that specifies a cost value for a given state of the quantum computing model; and

comprising instructions to generate the color assignment by determining a ground state with a minimum cost value for the quantum computing model.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a double-patterning process; and

comprising instructions to generate the quantum computing model such that only the quantum particle type exists in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site not occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the double-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the double-patterning process.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

comprising instructions to generate the quantum computing model such that a first quantum particle type and a second quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site not occupied by any quantum particle corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the multi-patterning process comprises a triple-patterning process; and

comprising instructions to generate the quantum computing model such that a first, second, third, and fourth quantum particle type exist in the quantum computing model and that for a given state of the quantum computing model:

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the first quantum particle type corresponds to a first color in the triple-patterning process;

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the second quantum particle type corresponds to a second color in the triple-patterning process; and

a model site occupied by a quantum particle of the third quantum particle type corresponds to a third color in the triple-patterning process; and

further comprising instructions to generate the quantum computing model by setting a penalty parameter to disincentivize a given model site being occupied by a quantum particle of the fourth quantum particle type.