India advances SiPh infrastructure
New design and test infrastructure aims to accelerate photonic IC development and strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
In a push to strengthen India’s semiconductor and photonics capabilities, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have introduced new infrastructure to support silicon photonics development, including a Process Design Kit (PDK) and a programmable photonic chip test platform.
The initiative forms part of broader national efforts to build a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission.
By providing standardised design tools alongside dedicated test capabilities, the platform is intended to streamline the development and validation of photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
Test and measurement remain key bottlenecks in scaling PIC technologies from research to production.
The addition of a programmable test engine is expected to improve device characterisation and reduce development cycles for researchers and industry users alike.
The move reflects growing global emphasis on integrated photonics as a strategic technology area, particularly for applications spanning communications, sensing, and emerging quantum systems.
