Patents Assigned to D-Wave Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8441329
    Abstract: An I/O system and device for use with superconducting device provides multi-stage filtering using superconducting electrical pathways, while providing good thermal conductivity to maintain low temperature of the various components and allowing the easy mounting and dismounting of a device sample from a refrigerated environment. Filtering may include a lumped element filter assembly including multiple plates each carrying a number of lumped element filters. Filtering may include a metal powder filter assembly including multiple metal power filters formed in passages of a substantially non-magnetic portions. A device sample holder assembly secures a device sample, for example a superconducting quantum processor, and provides signals, ground and good thermal conduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Murray C. Thom, Andrew Berkley, Alexander M. Tcaciuc, Mark Johnson, Paul Bunyk, Jaspaul Chung, Jacob Craig Petroff, Florin Cioata
  • Patent number: 8421053
    Abstract: A system may include first and second qubits that cross one another and a first coupler having a perimeter that encompasses at least a part of the portions of the first and second qubits, the first coupler being operable to ferromagnetically or anti-ferromagnetically couple the first and the second qubits together. A multi-layered computer chip may include a first plurality N of qubits laid out in a first metal layer, a second plurality M of qubits laid out at least partially in a second metal layer that cross each of the qubits of the first plurality of qubits, and a first plurality N times M of coupling devices that at least partially encompasses an area where a respective pair of the qubits from the first and the second plurality of qubits cross each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Bunyk, Richard David Neufeld, Felix Maibaum
  • Patent number: 8405468
    Abstract: An electronic filtering device includes continuous trace on a dielectric substrate and a dissipation layer communicatively coupled to the trace. The dissipation layer may include disconnected metal particles, which may be embedded in a substrate, for example in an epoxy. The continuous trace may be meandering, for example crenulated, coil or spiral signal path. At least a second continuous trace may be spaced from the first by the substrate, and conductively coupled by a via. The electronic filtering device may be used in one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) that form stages of an input/output system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Sergey V. Uchaykin
  • Patent number: 8386554
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus for factoring numbers are provided. The factoring may be accomplished by creating a factor graph, mapping the factor graph onto an analog processor, initializing the analog processor to an initial state, evolving the analog processor to a final state, and receiving an output from the analog processor, the output comprising a set of factors of the number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: William G. Macready, Johnathan Kuan
  • Patent number: 8355765
    Abstract: Magnetic shields and magnetic shielding systems are described. The excessive spatial demands of known mu-metal/cryoperm and superconducting shielding systems are reduced by a new multi-piece shield construction approach. A complete magnetic shielding system for use with superconducting-based computing systems, such as superconducting quantum computing systems, is also described. This complete system may include mu-metal/cryoperm shields and superconducting shields using either compensatory magnetic fields, expulsion by temperature gradients, or a combination of the two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Sergey V. Uchaykin, Jacob Craig Petroff, Gordon Lamont
  • Patent number: 8346325
    Abstract: Adaptations and improvements to tubular metal powder filters include employing non-circular cross sectional geometries, aligning the inner conductor off-axis, replacing the inner conductive wire with a conductive trace carried on a printed circuit board, combining multiple filters within a single common outer conductive housing, and employing meandering and other non-parallel signal paths. The various adaptations and improvements are designed to accommodate single-ended and differential signaling, as well as superconducting and non-superconducting applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Murray C. Thom, Sergey Uchaykin, Thomas Mahon, David Pires, Peter Spear, Jacob Craig Petroff
  • Patent number: 8315678
    Abstract: Superconducting connections are provided to internal layers of a multi-layer circuit board structure, for example by superconducting vias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Sergey V. Uchaykin
  • Publication number: 20120265718
    Abstract: Various adaptations to adiabatic quantum computation and quantum annealing are described. These adaptations generally involve tailoring an initial Hamiltonian so that a local minimum is avoided when a quantum processor is evolved from the initial Hamiltonian to a problem Hamiltonian. The initial Hamiltonian may represent a mixed Hamiltonian that includes both diagonal and off-diagonal terms, where the diagonal terms at least partially define a center point of a first computation space that is at least partially contained within a second computation space. A problem Hamiltonian may be evolved into a low energy state by inhomogeneously inducing disorder in the qubits of the quantum processor. A higher degree of disorder may be induced in a subset of qubits predicted to contribute to a local minimum of the problem Hamiltonian.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Amin, Vicky Choi, Andrew J. Berkley
  • Patent number: 8283943
    Abstract: Analog processors for solving various computational problems are provided. Such analog processors comprise a plurality of quantum devices, arranged in a lattice, together with a plurality of coupling devices. The analog processors further comprise bias control systems each configured to apply a local effective bias on a corresponding quantum device. A set of coupling devices in the plurality of coupling devices is configured to couple nearest-neighbor quantum devices in the lattice. Another set of coupling devices is configured to couple next-nearest neighbor quantum devices. The analog processors further comprise a plurality of coupling control systems each configured to tune the coupling value of a corresponding coupling device in the plurality of coupling devices to a coupling. Such quantum processors further comprise a set of readout devices each configured to measure the information from a corresponding quantum device in the plurality of quantum devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Maassen van den Brink, Peter Love, Mohammad H. S. Amin, Geordie Rose, David Grant, Miles F. H. Steininger, Paul Bunyk, Andrew J. Berkley
  • Patent number: 8279022
    Abstract: Systems and devices for providing differential input/output communication with a superconducting device are described. Each differential I/O communication is electrically filtered using a respective tubular filter structure incorporating superconducting lumped element devices and high frequency dissipation by metal powder epoxy. A plurality of such tubular filter structures is arranged in a cryogenic, multi-tiered assembly further including structural/thermalization supports and a device sample holder assembly for securing a device sample, for example a superconducting quantum processor. The interface between the cryogenic tubular filter assembly and room temperature electronics is achieved using hermetically sealed vacuum feed-through structures designed to receive flexible printed circuit board cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Murray C. Thom, Alexander M. Tcaciuc, Gordon Lamont, Jacob Craig Petroff, Richard David Neufeld, David S. Bruce, Sergey V. Uchaykin
  • Patent number: 8247799
    Abstract: An integrated circuit for quantum computing may include a superconducting shield to limit magnetic field interactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Paul I. Bunyk, Mark W. Johnson, Jeremy P. Hilton
  • Patent number: 8244662
    Abstract: Approaches to embedding source graphs into targets graphs in a computing system are disclosed. Such may be advantageously facilitate computation with computing systems that employ one or more analog processors, for example one or more quantum processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Coury, William G. Macready, David Grant
  • Patent number: 8244650
    Abstract: A recursive approach to quantum computing employs an initial solution, determines intermediate solutions, evaluates the intermediate solutions and repeats using the intermediate solution, if the intermediate solution does not satisfy solution criteria. A best one of the intermediate solutions may be employed in the recursion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Geordie Rose
  • Patent number: 8234103
    Abstract: Devices, methods and articles advantageously allow communications between qubits to provide an architecture for universal adiabatic quantum computation. The architecture includes a first coupled basis A1B1 and a second coupled basis A2B2 that does not commute with the first basis A1B1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Daniel Biamonte, Andrew Joseph Berkley, Mohammad Amin
  • Patent number: 8229863
    Abstract: Various adaptations to adiabatic quantum computation and quantum annealing are described. These adaptations generally involve tailoring an initial Hamiltonian so that a local minimum is avoided when a quantum processor is evolved from the initial Hamiltonian to a problem Hamiltonian. The initial Hamiltonian may represent a mixed Hamiltonian that includes both diagonal and off-diagonal terms, where the diagonal terms at least partially define a center point of a first computation space that is at least partially contained within a second computation space. A problem Hamiltonian may be evolved into a low energy state by inhomogeneously inducing disorder in the qubits of the quantum processor. A higher degree of disorder may be induced in a subset of qubits predicted to contribute to a local minimum of the problem Hamiltonian.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Amin, Vicky Choi, Andrew J. Berkley
  • Patent number: 8228688
    Abstract: A device is at least partially contained within a shielded enclosure formed by a first material that has a high thermal conductivity and plated with a second material that is superconductive below a critical temperature. An exterior of the shielded enclosure is at least partially wound by a compensation coil that is coupled to a current source. One or more measurement devices are responsive to magnetic fields in close proximity to the device, allowing compensation by controlling current to the compensation coil. Thus, magnetic shielding may be provided by compensation fields that may be trapped within the shielded enclosure when the system is cooled below the critical temperature of the second material. Radiation shielding may be provided by cooling the shielded enclosure to a temperature that is approximately equal to the temperature of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Sergey V. Uchaykin, Alex Likhachev
  • Patent number: 8195596
    Abstract: An analog processor, for example a quantum processor may include a plurality of elongated qubits that are disposed with respect to one another such that each qubit may selectively be directly coupled to each of the other qubits via a single coupling device. Such may provide a fully interconnected topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Geordie Rose, Paul Bunyk, Michael D. Coury, William Macready, Vicky Choi
  • Patent number: 8195726
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for using an analog processor to solve computational problems. A digital processor is configured to track computational problem processing requests received from a plurality of different users, and to track at least one of a status and a processing cost for each of the computational problem processing requests. An analog processor, for example a quantum processor, is operable to assist in producing one or more solutions to computational problems identified by the computational problem processing requests via a physical evolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: William Macready, Geordie Rose, Herbert J. Martin
  • Patent number: 8190548
    Abstract: A system employs a plurality of physical qubits, each having a respective bias operable to up to six differentiable inputs to solve a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization problem. Some physical qubit couplers are operated as intra-logical qubit couplers to ferromagnetically couple respective pairs of the physical qubits as a logical qubit, where each logical qubit represents a variable from the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization problem. The logical qubits may include two or more physical qubits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Vicky Choi
  • Patent number: 8175995
    Abstract: Quantum and digital processors are employed together to solve computational problems. The quantum processor may be configured with a problem via a problem Hamiltonian and operated to perform adiabatic quantum computation and/or quantum annealing on the problem Hamiltonian to return a first solution to the problem that is in the neighborhood of the global minimum of the problem Hamiltonian. The digital processor may then be used to refine the first solution to the problem by casting the first solution to the problem as a starting point for a classical optimization algorithm. The classical optimization algorithm may return a second solution to the problem that corresponds to a lower energy state in the neighborhood of the global minimum, such as a ground state of the problem Hamiltonian. The quantum processor may include a superconducting quantum processor implementing superconducting flux qubits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: D-Wave Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Mohammad Amin