Design and Fabrication of Silicon on Insulator Optical Waveguide Devices By

The work done on this thesis over the past year would have not been possible without the help of several people in and outside of RIT. I would like to thank my advisor and mentor Dr. Mustafa A.G. Abushagur most of all for the direction and support he has provided along the way. He has given me valuable insight and an intuitive view on the behavior of micro-optic structures, as well provided me with knowledge and tools required to test these waveguide devices. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Lynn Fuller, for his help in designing the process steps required to fabricate these waveguide structures and Dr. Jayanti Venkataraman, for her help in carefully reviewing the thesis and providing feedback. Both have been a tremendous help. The SMFL staff, particularly Sean O'Brien, has given much of his time and patience in certifying me on the tools that were required for fabrication. PHD students Karthik Narayanan, and Ajay Pasupuleti, have also been an invaluable resource for learning how to use many of the tools in the SMFL. I would also like to thank the Electrical engineering department staff, Ms. Florence Layton, and Ms. Patti Vicari, fo