izmo Microsystems and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) are moving into Phase II of a five-year, government-backed silicon photonics initiative called SPECTRA, or Silicon Photonics Enabled Cutting-edge Technology Research and Applications. The program has a total outlay of ₹99.94 crore (approximately $10.3 million), including ₹97.54 crore (approximately $10.1 million) from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and ₹2.40 crore (approximately $247,000) in cash and in-kind support from izmo Microsystems. SPECTRA represents Phase II of IIT Madras’ Centre for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS).
The program spans PIC design, fabrication, characterization, advanced packaging, testing, and system integration. Principal targets include a 1.6 Tbps silicon photonics transceiver engine operating at 1550 nm, microwave photonic engines beyond 50 GHz, integrated quantum random-number generation and quantum-key-distribution systems, and photonic processors for AI workloads. The roadmap also calls for a silicon photonics Process Design Kit containing more than 100 IP blocks for 200 mm wafer platforms. For izmo Microsystems, the collaboration extends into packaging architecture, CPO interfaces, PIC-EIC co-integration, fiber alignment and attachment, process optimization, prototype assembly, production packaging, and reliability validation.
The significance of SPECTRA is its emphasis on the manufacturing stack surrounding silicon photonics rather than treating the PIC as an isolated technology. Moving from a functioning photonic die to a deployable 1.6T optical engine or CPO assembly requires repeatable fiber coupling, electrical-photonic integration, thermal management, packaging, test, and reliability processes. Dinanath Soni, Director of izmo Microsystems, said the transition from 400G and 800G toward 1.6T places increasing importance on packaging, fiber attachment, electronic-photonic integration, thermal management, and high-speed testing. The longer-term target of a certified CPO design rule and packaging service could give the program an industrial output extending beyond the specific 1.6T engine.
What remains unknown is whether the program will convert its 200 mm design ecosystem, 1.6T engine, and CPO packaging work into qualified devices and repeatable manufacturing processes. The dossier does not specify timelines for individual milestones, yield targets, or commercial partners beyond izmo Microsystems. The evidence is drawn from a single secondary source, so independent corroboration of the funding figures and technical targets is not available.