Inverse Design Fabricability via Forbidden Pattern Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inverse design techniques for optical and electromagnetic devices often generate highly performant designs that are incapable of being fabricated due to unaddressed fabricability issues, particularly with complex design parameters and small feature sizes.
Innovation Solution
A method is proposed to ensure fabricability by receiving a segmented design, searching for forbidden patterns, adding segments to a set of unfabricable segments, changing materials within these segments, and iteratively checking for forbidden patterns until a fabricable design is achieved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inverse design techniques are used to generate highly performant designs, then device performance is improved, but fabricability deteriorates due to unaddressed manufacturing constraints and forbidden patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing fabricability checks and identifying forbidden patterns during the design generation phase, before fabrication occurs. The system proactively modifies designs to eliminate manufacturing constraints violations, rather than detecting issues after design completion. This ensures high-performance designs are simultaneously made fabricable through iterative constraint satisfaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary fabricability checking system that acts as a mediator between the inverse design generator and the fabrication process. This intermediary layer analyzes designs for forbidden patterns, identifies manufacturing constraint violations, and generates modifications to bridge the gap between theoretical performance and practical manufacturability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If design parameters are increased to optimize device functionality, then device performance is improved, but design complexity increases making fabricability verification more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complex design verification process into manageable components: (1) receiving segmented designs with material indicators, (2) searching for forbidden patterns, (3) identifying unfabricable segments, (4) modifying specific segments, and (5) iterative rechecking. This modular approach handles complex designs with numerous parameters by processing them in discrete, systematic steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through iterative loops where designs are continuously checked for fabricability, modifications are made to eliminate forbidden patterns, and rechecking occurs to verify compliance. This feedback mechanism systematically reduces design complexity by automatically identifying and correcting manufacturing constraint violations across complex parameter spaces.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, a method of ensuring fabricability of a segmented design for a physical device to be fabricated by a fabrication system is provided. A proposed segmented design is searched for forbidden patterns in a set of forbidden patterns. Segments from the proposed segmented design that appear in forbidden patterns are added to a set of unfabricable segments. A material indicated by at least one unfabricable segment from the set of unfabricable segments is changed to create an updated segmented design, and the updated segmented design is searched for the forbidden patterns in the set of forbidden patterns. In response to determining that the updated segmented design includes at least one forbidden pattern, the adding, changing, and searching actions are repeated. In response to determining that the updated segmented design does not include any forbidden patterns, an indication is generated that the updated segmented design is fabricable.