Abstract
All‐optical signal processing on nonlinear photonic chips is a burgeoning field. These processes include light generation, optical regeneration and pulse metrology. Nonlinear photonic chips offer the benefits of small footprints, significantly larger nonlinear parameters and flexibility in generating dispersion. The nonlinear compression of optical pulses relies on a delicate balance of a material's nonlinearity and optical dispersion. Recent developments in dispersion engineering on a chip are proving to be key enablers of high‐efficiency integrated optical pulse compression. We review the recent advances made in optical pulse compression based on nonlinear photonic chips, as well as the future outlook and challenges that remain to be solved. Ultra‐short pulses are of importance to both fundamental and applied research. Central to temporal compression of optical pulses is the generation of new spectral content in a nonlinear medium and the synchronization of all spectral components in time using an appropriate amount of dispersion. Recent advancements in generating large amounts of anomalous dispersion and nonlinear parameters on integrated optical platforms have led to impressive demonstrations of on – chip optical pulse compressors. The state of the art in on‐chip optical pulse compressors are reviewed, starting with a theoretical treatment followed by experimental breakthroughs and future opportunities.