All-optical Processes in Integrated Optical Devices Using Materials with Large Third-Order Nonlinearities and Gain

Integrated optics is the field which explores and develops methods and devices for the propagation and processing of optical signals in lightwave structures. One could think of switching or filtering of wavelengths, but also amplification or modulation of such optical signals. This thesis presents various methods, both theoretically as well as experimentally, to amplify, modulate or switch optical signals in an integrated optical circuit, without the intervention of slowing electronics