IIT Madras launches two silicon photonics products
An R&D centre at IIT Madras has developed a fibre array attachment tool in partnership with izmo Microsystems, which will be integrated with izmo’s packaging facility for photonics chip packaging. The centre also launched a high-speed silicon photonics QRNG.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched two silicon photonics products designed and developed indigenously at one of the institute’s R&D hubs, CoE-CPPICS.
Centre for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS) is one of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) initiatives by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is hosted by the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, with a long-term mission of undertaking R&D in programmable photonic integrated circuits and systems using CMOS compatible silicon photonics technology for solving various levels of complex problems, the IIT Madras website says.
CoE-CPPICS has developed a fibre array attachment tool in partnership with Bangalore start-up izmo Microsystems to be seamlessly integrated with izmo’s packaging facility for next-gen photonics chip packaging, according to a media release. The packaging facility at izmo is now commercially available for miniaturised silicon photonics product development.
The centre also launched a high-speed silicon photonics QRNG (Quantum Random Number Generator). This module will be available commercially for potential customers through the CPPICS spin-off start-up LightOnChip Pvt Ltd. The key applications of QRNG are in IT security for military and defence, cryptographic algorithms, quantum key distribution (QKD), scientific modelling and simulations, financial transactions/ blockchain/ OTP and gaming applications, the media release said.
“Indigenously developed field deployable silicon photonic-based quantum random number generator (QRNG) module is (a matter of) pride for India. The product has been delivered to DRDO [Defence Research and Development Organisation] to help in advanced quantum cryptography,” said S. Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, MeitY, Government of India.
“Silicon Photonics is an emerging technology that will certainly help design much more efficient and complex hardware for the future,” said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras. “I am very happy that the Silicon Photonics CoE-CPPICS Centre at IIT Madras has now come out with demonstrable products that can be quickly adopted by the market.”
“We are now fully equipped with the entire value chain of silicon photonics product development by leveraging the strongest silicon photonics research team and the world-class silicon photonics chip design and testing facility at CPPICS along with its state-of-the-art Silicon Photonics Foundry Partner Silterra Malaysia, and Photonic IC Packaging Partner izmo Microsystems,” said Prof. Bijoy Krishna Das, Chief Investigator, Silicon Photonics CoE-CPPICS, IIT Madras. “The unique value chain created around CPPICS is now ready for handholding emerging photonic start-up companies in India and elsewhere in the world for their product prototyping and manufacturing.”