Semiconductor technologies for nanoelectronic diagnostics and optoelectronic therapies

Semiconductors are ubiquitous in modern optics and electronics devices. Optoelectronic semiconductor devices have evolved from millimeter to nanometer scale over the past decades. In this Ph.D. dissertation, we report work on three projects that develop and analyze innovative leading-edge optoelectronics. In the first project, we discuss our development of a highly selective and sensitive silicon nanowire biosensor platform for use in point-of-care diagnosis and disease monitoring. In our second project, we develop a numerical model using COMSOL Multiphysics that utilizes ray optics and bioheat transfer physics to determine safety considerations for NeuroBlate© procedures that utilize a high power near-infrared (NIR) laser system. In our third project, we demonstrate the use of quantum engineered solid state mid-infrared (MIR) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) for photothermal ablation of soft tissues and develop advanced optical components for coupling these new type of semiconductor lasers into MIR transparent fibers utilizing ray optics modeling for surgical applications.