Abstract

To my parents. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my research advisor, Professor Jamie Phillips, for all of his guidance, support, and mentorship throughout my career as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside him. I sincerely appreciate all of the time he has taken to meet with me to discuss and review my research work. He is always very thoughtful and respectful of his students, treating us as peers and valuing our opinions. Professor Phillips has been a wonderful inspiration to me. I have learned so much from him, and I believe he truly exemplifies the highest standard of teacher and technical leader. I would also like to acknowledge the past and present members of the Phillips Research Group for their help, useful discussions, and camaraderie. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Emine Cagin for her constant encouragement and humor. Emine has been a wonderful role model. I truly admire her expertise, her accom-plishments, and her unfailing optimism and can only hope to follow in her footsteps. I would also like to thank Dr. Pierre Emelie, whose research on HgCdTe devices has been the basis of the work I have pursued in my dissertation. Pierre has always been available to provide technical advice related to my research, and I sincerely appreciate him taking the time to do so in his busy schedule. Next, I would like to thank Professor Jose Oscar Mur-Miranda, my undergraduate research advisor at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. During my time at Olin and since, he has been very supportive of me, encouraging me in my technical studies and creativity. I have really enjoyed working with and learning from Oscar, iii who has influenced the direction of my career focus for the better. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my former teachers from