UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indigenously Developed Silicon Photonics Technology Solutions Launched

Q1. With reference to the Centre of Excellence CoE-CPPICS where the indigenous silicon photonics solutions were developed, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly stated?

  1. It is hosted by IIT Madras.
  2. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  3. SilTerra Malaysia serves as its silicon photonics foundry partner.
  4. It functions as a Centre of Excellence set up under NITI Aayog.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing CoE-CPPICS with conventional semiconductor fabrication facilities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike conventional semiconductor fabs that process electrical signals, CoE-CPPICS develops photonic integrated circuits that manipulate light.
  2. CoE-CPPICS is a MeitY-sponsored Centre of Excellence hosted at IIT Madras.
  3. CoE-CPPICS relies on a III-V compound semiconductor platform that is incompatible with CMOS fabrication.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Two silicon photonics solutions were launched at CoE-CPPICS in 2026. Consider the following statements distinguishing them. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Silicon Photonics PDK is a foundry-ready design kit providing verified component libraries and design rules for photonics chip manufacturing.
  2. The Universal packaged PPIC Test Engine is a testbed for characterising programmable photonic integrated circuits.
  3. The PDK is a packaged hardware test engine, whereas the PPIC Test Engine is the software design kit.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The CoE-CPPICS at IIT Madras, where the Silicon Photonics PDK and Universal PPIC Test Engine were launched, is sponsored by which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Science and Technology (DST)
  • B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • C. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
  • D. Ministry of Heavy Industries

Q5. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), which anchors the semiconductor ecosystem that the silicon photonics push feeds into, has been set up as an independent business division within which one of the following?

  • A. NITI Aayog
  • B. Digital India Corporation
  • C. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
  • D. Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)

Q6. The indigenously developed Silicon Photonics Process Design Kit (PDK) launched at CoE-CPPICS is stated to contain how many verified components?

  • A. over 20
  • B. over 50
  • C. over 150
  • D. over 500

Q7. Silicon photonics derives its manufacturing scalability from being compatible with which established semiconductor fabrication process?

  • A. CMOS process
  • B. Gallium Nitride (GaN) HEMT process
  • C. MEMS bulk micromachining
  • D. Thin-film transistor (TFT) process

Q8. IIT Madras signed a ₹1 crore licensing deal in 2025 to transfer India's first Silicon Photonics-based Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) to which one of the following companies?

  • A. QNu Labs
  • B. Indrarka Quantum Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
  • C. Taqbit Labs
  • D. BosonQ Psi

Q9. A Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), of the type licensed by IIT Madras, produces random numbers primarily by exploiting which one of the following?

  • A. The inherent unpredictability of quantum-mechanical measurement processes
  • B. Deterministic pseudo-random algorithms initialised with a seed value
  • C. Statistical sampling of classical atmospheric and thermal noise
  • D. Timing jitter in digital oscillator clock circuits

Q10. Consider the following statements about the CoE-CPPICS partnership with SilTerra Malaysia and its ecosystem partners. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. SilTerra Malaysia acts as the foundry partner, giving CoE-CPPICS access to its 200 mm silicon photonics process.
  2. izmo Microsystems, Bengaluru, serves as the photonic IC packaging partner in the ecosystem.
  3. The collaboration targets programmable silicon photonic processor chips, especially for quantum computing and communication applications.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. In which year was the Silicon Photonics Research Centre of Excellence (CoE-CPPICS) formally inaugurated at IIT Madras by the MeitY Secretary?

  • A. 2021
  • B. 2022
  • C. 2023
  • D. 2024