Chaque faisceau d'un laser de puissance, tel que le Laser MégaJoule, est mis en forme et voit son énergie amplifiée à l’aide d’une centaine de composants optiques tels que des plaques de verre amplificateur, des lentilles, des miroirs, des lames de phase, des réseaux... 'Evidemment ces composants ne sont pas parfaitement réalisés et ils présentent à leurs surfaces des défauts de fabrication. Ces imperfections peuvent être dues aux outils de polissage des composants, aux dépôts antireflet ou même apparaitre au cours de la phase d’exploitation ou de remédiation du composant. Ces défauts contribuent à une baisse des performances du Laser MégaJoule que ce soit au niveau de l’énergie déposée au centre de la chambre d’expériences ou à l’endommagement accéléré des composants optiques placés en aval. Actuellement la norme ISO 10110-7 est utilisée pour spécifier les défauts d’aspect. Cependant elle manque de justification pour les besoins d’une chaine laser de puissance. Dans le cadre de la thèse nous nous intéressons exclusivement à l’endommagement fratricide local des composants optiques. Un défaut présent à la surface du composant module l’onde lumineuse par phénomène de diffraction. Un << point chaud >> peut apparaitre dans le faisceau laser augmentant alors la densité locale surfacique d’énergie appliquée aux composants suivants. La loi d’endommagement prédit une augmentation de la probabilité d’endommagement puisque la densité d’énergie est modifiée. Une première étude, fondée sur les équations de Fresnel, met en évidence les paramètres intéressants à spécifier pour prédire les intensifications engendrées par des défauts typiques. Le lien entre paramètres du défaut et intensifications diffractées est, ensuite, validité expérimentalement sur des cas réels de défauts. Une seconde étude établit un seuil exprimé en puissance en deçà duquel l'hypothèse d'une propagation linéaire, selon les équations de Fresnel, est valide. La cohérence des résultats donnés par le seuil en puissance et par la simulation numérique renforce l’idée voulant que la propagation d’un << point chaud >> en présence d'effet Kerr soit sensiblement différente de celle d’un faisceau gaussien. Fort de ces deux résultats nous sommes en capacité d'établir une spécification des défauts d’aspect en ayant une meilleure compréhension de l’endommagement fratricide local. / Each beam of a high power laser facility, such as the Laser MégaJoule, is shaped and amplified thanks to hundreds optical components such as amplifier slabs at Brewster’s angle, lenses, mirrors, phase plates, diffraction gratings... Of course, all these components cannot be perfect; there are some defects on their surface. These imperfections appear at each stage of the life of the component, during polishing, coating, or mitigation process or when the component is used on the facility. They have a huge impact on the energy losses delivered on the target and they decrease the resistance of downstream components to intense light. The ISO 10110-7 standard is currently used to specify the visual defects. However, this standard is poorly justified and do not fit a high power laser needs. In this thesis, we are focused on the fratricide effect. Light propagates through a defect, then, some intensity modulations appear along the propagation. The damage law states that high energy density leads to an increase of the damage probability. Firstly, we investigate the characteristic parameters of the defect morphology linked to the formation of downstream << hot spots >>. Then, the link between these typical parameters and the high intensifications are confirmed by experiments on real defects. Secondly, a power criterion is demonstrated to guarantee the linear propagation hypothesis. This criterion is compared to numerical simulations and it is shown how the nonlinear propagation, induced by Kerr effect, can be different between the << hot spot >> formed by a defect and a Gaussian beam. Finally, the results are used to improve the visual defect specification thanks to a better understanding of the fratricide effect.

My diploma work is divided into theoretical and practical part. In theoretical part I engage with particular defect of studying, their types and demonstration. I also deal with their diagnostic and amendment. In the connection to particular defects of studying I also describe the trouble of defect of behaviour, mostly ADHD, including the defect of studying of adults. I also focus on education of individual with the particular defect of studying at university. I describe the system of studying at university with the possibility of advantage for students with particular defect of stuyding. The end of my theoretical part I aim on University of South Bohemia itself, its history and operating of each faculty. In my practical part I deal with analyze of students´branch/programmes of daily studying in two faculties of University of South Bohemia - Faculty of Economy and the Faculty of Fishing. Each subjects which are taught in particular studying branch I analyze and I show the requirements which are needed to pass that subject. After this I try to deduce the charge on students which has been defined on the base of analyze of each students branch in different faculties. It will be confronted with the theoretical piece of knowledge, which relates to needs and rarity of the students with the particular defect of studying while being a student at university.

La reconstruction passive des fonctions de Green par corrélation de bruit ambiant suscite aujourd’hui un grand intérêt en contrôle santé intégré (CSI). Dans ce manuscrit, nous proposons une méthode originale reposant sur l’application de cette approche pour détecter et localiser des défauts (fissures, trous, rainures) dans des plaques minces réverbérantes avec un faible nombre de capteurs. Les ondes de flexion qui se propagent sur la plaque sont engendrées soit par un ensemble de sources aléatoirement réparties sur la surface ou un bruit ambiant. Un réseau de capteurs sensibles au déplacement normal permet d’estimer la matrice de corrélations inter-éléments avant et après l’apparition d’un défaut. Un critère d’évaluation de la qualité des corrélations est proposé sous forme d’un niveau de bruit relatif entre les résidus de reconstruction et les fonctions de Green. La matrice différentielle de corrélations avant et après défaut est utilisée pour l’imagerie de défaut. En dépit de la reconstruction imparfaite des réponses impulsionnelles, la technique proposée s’avère comparable aux méthodes actives avec une excellente résolution. On a proposé ensuite une extension de la méthode passive par corrélation de champs pour l’identification des zones de bruit. Un filtrage basé sur la technique de décomposition en valeurs singulières (DORT) est tout particulièrement utilisé pour améliorer les images de localisation. Des sources acoustiques secondaires ont été développées pour la translation du bruit ambiant basses fréquences en composantes hautes fréquences, utilisées pour localiser des défauts dans des plaques. Enfin, on a montré que ce type de méthode pourrait être également utilisé pour caractériser un défaut dans une structure réverbérante, en particulier, il a été souligné que l’intensité des images de localisation obtenues est liée à la section de diffusion de celui-ci. / Green’s functions retrieval from ambient noise correlation has recently drawn a new interest in structural health monitoring. In this manuscript, we propose an original method based on this approach to detect and locate defects (cracks, holes, grooves) in a reverberant thin plate with a limited number of sensors. Flexural waves that propagate on the plate are generated by either a set of sources distributed randomly on the surface or an ambient noise. Covariance matrices are estimated from the sparse array after damage and compared to baseline-correlation matrix recorded from the healthy plate. An evaluation criterion has developed in the form of relative noise level to predict the quality of the GF reconstruction. The differential correlation matrix w/o defect is used to localize the defect. We have shown numerically and experimentally that this technique is exploitable for defect detection and localization, despite a non-perfect estimation of the GF. We have also proposed a passive technique to identify the regions of noise. A filtering technique based on the singular value decomposition is shown to improve the detection. A secondary acoustic sources have been developped to harvesting the LF ambient noise to HF field, used to localize defects in platelike structures. Finally, it was shown that such method could also be used to characterize a defect in a reverberant structure, in particular, it has been drawn that the obtained images intensity is related to the defect cross-section.

<p>Bone formation and bone healing were studied in the mandible, tibia and skull bones in adult, healthy and estrogen deficient rabbits implanted with different bone substitutes. </p><p>In the first study an evaluation of the differences in bone regeneration in and around solid (Alveograf *) and porous hydroxyapatite (Interpore 200*) was undertaken. The implant material was placed into experimentally made bone defects and in half of the defects hydroxyapatite was mixed with a fibrin sealant (Tisseel *). The material alone or mixed with Tisseel was also placed subperiostally in the mandible. The observation time was six month. No difference in bone regeneration was found between solid or porous hydroxyapatite granulas and the addition of Tisseel* did not seem to disturb the bone healing process. The implant material placed subperiostally did not induce bone formation nor did it provoke any bone resorption. The addition of Tisseel made the implant material much easier to handle and retain in the tissue during surgery.</p><p>Bone healing around hydroxyapatite implants was also evaluated in the second study. Experimental cavities in the mandible and tibia were filled with hydroxyapatite in granules or blocks (Interpore 200*) but now with or without autolyzed, antigen-extracted, allogeneic bone (AAA). Also in this study Tisseel* was used to facilitate the handling of the material. All cavities implanted with AAA-bone, regardless of the combination with hydroxyapatite or Tisseel, demonstrated excessive bone formation resembling exostosis formation. Thus, hydroxyapatite, both as granules and blocks, can be successfully combined with AAA bone utilizing the bone inductive capacity of AAA bone.</p><p>The same model was used to study the healing in ovariectomized animals in the third study. Bone cavities were implanted with or without AAA bone and left to heal. The results indicate that the osteoinductive capacity of AAA bone is in operation also in animals deprived of a normal estrogen production.</p><p>The effect of using AAA bone prior to implant insertion was studied in paper four. The bone-implant contact was significant higher when AAA bone had been used. The implant stability did not seem to be affected.</p><p>In paper five defects were made in skull and tibial bone in estrogen deficient animals. The deficiency of estrogen was confirmed through blood analysis, the decrease in the weight of uterus and bone mineral density. The whole body scanning with DEXA showed that the ovariectomized animals developed osteopenia. Various degree of bone formation was seen in the defects due to the influence of the bone inductive substance AAA bone. </p><p>The studies indicate that a conductive material like hydroxyapatite in granules or blocks could be useful in oral reconstructive surgery. The combination with AAA bone enhanced the bone formation in calvarial and tibial bone in healthy and estrogen deficient animals. Tisseel* could be used to facilitate handling and retention of the material in the intended position during the healing process without negative effects. </p>

<p>Rapporten beskriver en undersökning rörande två olika typer av inre fel, centrumfel och ytnära fel, på valsar. Examensarbete för högskoleingenjörsexamen i maskinteknik (22.5p) vid Instutitionen för ingenjörsvetenskap, fysik och matematik, Karlstad Universitet. Utfört på uppdrag av Scana Steel Björneborg AB.</p><p>Scana Björneborg är en av Europas ledande producenter av tunga friformsmidda detaljer och har eget stålverk, egen smedja, värmebehandlingsanläggning och maskinpark. På Scana Björneborg gjuts göt av järnskrot, varpå de smids, värmebehandlas och maskinbearbetas till valsar. Efter maskinbearbetning kontrolleras valsarna med ultraljud för att hitta eventuella inre fel. Specifikationerna från kund för hur stora indikationer får vara är strama och stora kostnader uppstår i samband med reklamationer, kassationer, omarbeten och förseningar. Felen har blivit alltmer frekventa och Scana Björneborg har satt samman två projektgrupper för att få försöka få bukt på dem. Examensarbetet skall understödja båda dessa grupper och genom undersökningen skapa underlag för vidare beslut. Undersökningen delades in i tre olika moment:</p><p>* Statistik och information som kunde användas för att hitta eventuella samband och orsaker till de olika feltyperna samlades i en databas.</p><p>* Den samlade statistiken och informationen organiserades, förenklades och analyserades sedan med hjälp av programmet SIMCA, ett program gjort för multivariata analyser av stora datamängder. Eventuella samband granskades och analyserades därefter manuellt för att väga och gallra resultatet .</p><p>* Sex ytnära fel i tre olika detaljer öppnades upp för kartläggning av vilken typ av defekter det rörde sig om, och en metallografisk undersökning i ljus- och svepelektronmikroskop och analys av defekternas sammansättning gjordes.</p><p>SIMCA-analys av insamlad statistik med avseende på centrumfel och vidare granskning och analys av dess resultat antyder att hög smidesvikt, hög Vanadinhalt, stukning, hög nedsmidningsgrad och smidestid per ton i den följden är viktiga faktorer vid uppkomsten av centrumfel, och att en viss samverkan finns mellan dem.</p><p>SIMCA-analys av insamlad statistik med avseende på ytnära fel och vidare granskning och analys av dess resultat antyder att ett samband mellan valda parametrar och uppkomsten av ytnära fel inte går att hitta. Metoden bedöms olämplig för vidare undersökning av ytnära fel.</p><p>Den metallografiska undersökningen av öppnade ytnära defekter visade att samtliga sex defekter liknade varandra till utseende och sammansättning. Vanligaste beståndsdelarna i dessa inneslutningar var Aluminium tillsammans med förhöjda halter av Kol och Syre. Dessa ämnen är alla naturliga i stålet och därför bedöms inte de ytnära felen vara utifrån kommande.</p> / <p>The report describes an investigation concerning two types of internal defects, axis-centered defects and near-surface defects, in rolls. Thesis for bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (22.5p), at the institution for engineering, physics and mathematics, Karlstad University. Ordered by Scana Steel Björneborg AB.</p><p>Scana Steel Björneborg AB is one of Europe’s leading producers of heavy free-form forgings and has its own steel plant, forge, heating treatment facility and machine park. Scana Steel Björneborg AB casts ingots from iron scrap. The ingots are then forged, heat treated and machined into rolls. After the machining the rolls are tested with ultrasonic testing equipment to look for indications of internal defects. The specifications on how big the indications are allowed to be from the client are rigid and large costs come up because of reclamations, discarding, reworking and delays. The defects have become increasingly more frequent and Scana Steel Björneborg AB has put together two groups to try and get control over the problem. The thesis is meant to support the two groups by investigating the internal defects, and to create a platform to take further decisions from. The investigation was made up of three parts:</p><p>* Statistics and information that could be used to find connections and cause of the internal defects was gathered in a data base.</p><p>* The gathered statistics and information was organized, simplified and analyzed with SIMCA, a computer software made for multivariate analyzing of large amounts of information. The results of the SIMCA-simulation were then checked further manually to weigh and lay down the fairness of the results.</p><p>* Six near-surface defects in three parts were opened up to map the types of defects and a metallographic examination in optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and spectrometer analysis of the defects’ composition was made.</p><p>The SIMCA analysis of gathered statistics concerning axis-centered defects and later manual analysis of the results showed that high forging weight, high Vanadium content, high degree of forging and low forging-time per tonne all relate to the creation of axis-centered defects, and that some interaction is present between them.</p><p>The SIMCA analysis concerning near-surface defects showed that the chosen parameters do not relate with the creation of near-surface defects. The method is deemed unsuitable for further investigations.</p><p>The metallographic examination of the six near-surface defects showed that all six defects resemble each other in appearance and composition. The most common elements in these inclusions are Aluminum and heightened contents of Carbon and Oxygen. These elements are all naturally occurring elements in the steel and because of this the inclusions are not thought to be exogenous.</p>

<p>The development and improvement of the functionality of metal oxides in heterogeneous catalysis and other surface chemical processes can greatly benefit from an atomic-level understanding of the surface chemistry. Atomistic calculations such as quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide highly detailed information about the atomic and electronic structure, and constitute valuable complements to experimental surface science techniques. </p><p>In this thesis, an embedded-cluster approach for quantum mechanical calculations has been developed to model the surface chemistry of metal oxides. In particular, CO adsorption on the MgO(001) and CeO₂(110) surfaces as well as O vacancy formation at the CeO₂(110) surface have been investigated. The cluster model has been thoroughly tested by comparison with electronic structure calculations for the periodic slab model.</p><p>The chemical implications of distorted surface structures arising from the surface dynamics have been investigated by combining the QM embedded-cluster calculations with force-field based MD simulations. Here QM embedded-cluster calculations were performed using surface structures sampled from the MD simulations.</p><p>This combined MD+QM embedded-cluster procedure was applied to the CO adsorption on MgO(001) at 50 K and the O vacancy formation on CeO₂(110) at 300 K. Significant thermal variations of the CO adsorption energy and the O vacancy formation energy were observed. It was found that these variations could be estimated using the force field of the MD simulation as an interaction model. With this approach, the QM results were extrapolated to higher temperature and doped systems.</p>

The explosion of information and information technology has led many firms to evolve a dispersed product development process with people and organizations spread throughout the world. To coordinate such dispersed processes managers attempt to establish a culture that implicitly rewards product development teams based on their ability to perform against a set of strategic metrics such as customer satisfaction, time to market, defect reduction, or platform reuse. Many papers have focused on selecting the right metrics and establishing the culture. In this paper we focus on a practical method to fine-tune a firm's relative emphasis on the metrics that they have chosen. In particular, we seek to advise a firm whether to increase or decrease their emphasis on each metric such that the change in emphasis improves profits. Using a thermostat analogy we apply an adaptive control feedback mechanism in which we estimate the incremental improvements in priorities that will increase profits. Iterations of adaptive control seek to maximize profits even if the environment is changing. We demonstrate the metric thermostat’s use in an application to a firm with over $20 billion in revenue. In developing the metric thermostat we recognize that there are hundreds of detailed actions, such as the use of the house of quality and the use of robust design, among which the product development team must choose. We also recognize that they will act in their own best interests to choose the actions that maximize their own implicit rewards as determined by the metrics. Management need not observe or dictate these detailed actions, but rather control the process by establishing the culture that sets the implicit weights on the metrics. The thermostat works by changing those implicit weights. We define the problem, introduce the adaptive control mechanism, modify “agency” theory to deal with incremental changes about an operating point, and derive methods that are practical and robust in light of the data that firms have available. Our methods include statistical estimation and internal surveys. The mathematics identify the critical few parameters that need be determined and highlight how to estimate them. Both the measures and the estimation are illustrated in our initial application to a large officeequipment firm. The metrics thermostat suggests that this firm has about the right emphasis on timeto- market, but has overshot on platform reuse and has lost its focus on customer satisfaction. We describe how the firm reacted to the recommendations and changed its organization. We describe additional ongoing applications with the US Air Force, the US Navy, and a major automobile and truck manufacturer. / This research was funded by the Center for Innovation in Product Development (CIPD) and the International Center for Research on the Management of Technology (ICRMOT), M.I.T.

Gewebezellen sammeln ständig Informationen über die mechanischen Eigenschaften ihrer Umgebung, indem sie aktiv an dieser ziehen. Diese Kräfte werden an Zell-Matrix-Kontakten übertragen, die als Mechanosensoren fungieren. Jüngste Experimente mit Zellen auf elastischen Substraten zeigen, dass Zellen sehr empfindlich auf Veränderungen der effektiven Steifigkeit ihrer Umgebung reagieren, die zu einer Reorganisation des Zytoskeletts führen können. In dieser Arbeit wird ein theoretisches Model entwickelt, um die Selbstorganisation von Zellen in weichen Materialien vorherzusagen. Obwohl das Zellverhalten durch komplexe regulatorische Vorgänge in der Zelle gesteuert wird, scheint die typische Antwort von Zellen auf mechanische Reize eine einfache Präferenz für große effektive Steifigkeit der Umgebung zu sein, möglicherweise weil in einer steiferen Umgebung Kräfte an den Kontakten effektiver aufgebaut werden können. Der Begriff Steifigkeit umfasst dabei sowohl Effekte, die durch größere Härte als auch durch elastische Verzerrungsfelder in der Umgebung verursacht werden. Diese Beobachtung kann man als ein Extremalprinzip in der Elastizitätstheorie formulieren. Indem man das zelluläre Kraftmuster spezifiziert, mit dem Zellen mit ihrer Umgebung wechselwirken, und die Umgebung selbst als linear elastisches Material modelliert, kann damit die optimale Orientierung und Position von Zellen vorhergesagt werden. Es werden mehrere praktisch relevante Beispiele für Zellorganisation theoretisch betrachtet: Zellen in externen Spannungsfeldern und Zellen in der Nähe von Grenzflächen für verschiedene Geometrien und Randbedingungen des elastischen Mediums. Dafür werden die entsprechenden elastischen Randwertprobleme in Vollraum, Halbraum und Kugel exakt gelöst. Die Vorhersagen des Models stimmen hervorragend mit experimentellen Befunden für Fibroblastzellen überein, sowohl auf elastischen Substraten als auch in physiologischen Hydrogelen. Mechanisch aktive Zellen wie Fibroblasten können auch elastisch miteinander wechselwirken. Es werden daher optimale Strukturen als Funktion von Materialeigenschaften und Zelldichte bzw. der Geometrie der Zellpositionen berechnet. Schließlich wird mit Hilfe von Monte Carlo Simulationen der Einfluss stochastischer Störungen auf die Strukturbildung untersucht. Das vorliegende Model trägt nicht nur zu einem besseren Verständnis von vielen physiologischen Situationen bei, sondern könnte in Zukunft auch für biomedizinische Anwendungen benutzt werden, um zum Beispiel Protokolle für künstliche Gewebe im Bezug auf Substratgeometrie, Randbedingungen, Materialeigenschaften oder Zelldichte zu optimieren. / Adherent cells constantly collect information about the mechanical properties of their extracellular environment by actively pulling on it through cell-matrix contacts, which act as mechanosensors. In recent years, the sophisticated use of elastic substrates has shown that cells respond very sensitively to changes in effective stiffness in their environment, which results in a reorganization of the cytoskeleton in response to mechanical input. We develop a theoretical model to predict cellular self-organization in soft materials on a coarse grained level. Although cell organization in principle results from complex regulatory events inside the cell, the typical response to mechanical input seems to be a simple preference for large effective stiffness, possibly because force is more efficiently generated in a stiffer environment. The term effective stiffness comprises effects of both rigidity and prestrain in the environment. This observation can be turned into an optimization principle in elasticity theory. By specifying the cellular probing force pattern and by modeling the environment as a linear elastic medium, one can predict preferred cell orientation and position. Various examples for cell organization, which are of large practical interest, are considered theoretically: cells in external strain fields and cells close to boundaries or interfaces for different sample geometries and boundary conditions. For this purpose the elastic equations are solved exactly for an infinite space, an elastic half space and the elastic sphere. The predictions of the model are in excellent agreement with experiments for fibroblast cells, both on elastic substrates and in hydrogels. Mechanically active cells like fibroblasts could also interact elastically with each other. We calculate the optimal structures on elastic substrates as a function of material properties, cell density and the geometry of cell positioning, respectively, that allows each cell to maximize the effective stiffness in its environment due to the traction of all the other cells. Finally, we apply Monte Carlo simulations to study the effect of noise on cellular structure formation. The model not only contributes to a better understanding of many physiological situations. In the future it could also be used for biomedical applications to optimize protocols for artificial tissues with respect to sample geometry, boundary condition, material properties or cell density.

This thesis details research performed in modeling, simulation, and rational design of porous SOFC cathodes via development, extension, and use of the key tools to aid in the fundamental understanding and engineering design of cathode materials. Phenomenological modeling of triple phase boundary (TPB) reactions and surface transport on La₁₋ₓSrₓMnO₃ (LSM) was conducted, providing insight into the role of the bulk versus surface oxygen reduction pathway and the role of sheet resistance in thin-film patterned electrode measurements. In response to observation of sheet resistance deactivation, a modeling study was conducted to design thin-film patterned electrodes with respect to sheet resistance. Additionally, this thesis outlines the application of phenomenological chemical kinetics to describe and explain the performance and stability enhancements resulting from surface modification of La₁₋ₓSrₓCo₁₋yFeyO₃₋delta (LSCF) with a conformal LSM coating. The analysis was performed in close coordination with electrochemical experiments and transmission electron microscopy. Finally, the thesis describes conformal modeling of porous cathode microstructures using chemical kinetics and transport models. A novel application of conservative point defect ensembles was developed to allow simulations with complicated chemical surface kinetics to be efficiently coupled with bulk transport within the porous structure. The finite element method was employed to simulate electrochemical response conformal to sintered porous ceramic structures using actual 3D microstructural reconstructions obtained using x-ray microtomography. Mesh refinement, linear, and nonlinear reaction rate kinetics were employed to study the bulk versus surface oxygen reduction pathways and the effect of near-TPB nanostructure.

This thesis work aims at a better understanding of magneto-optical properties of dilute nitrides and II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum structures. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part gives an introduction of the research fields, together with a brief summary of the scientific results included in the thesis. The second part consists of seven scientific articles that present the main findings of the thesis work. Below is a short summary of the thesis. Dilute nitrides have been of great scientific interest since their development in the early 1990s, because of their unusual fundamental physical properties as well as their potential for device applications. Incorporation of a small amount of N in conventional Ga(In)As or Ga(In)P semiconductors leads to dramatic modifications in both electronic and optical properties of the materials. This makes the dilute nitrides ideally suited for novel optoelectronic devices such as light emitting devices for fiber-optic communications, highly efficient visible light emitting devices, multi-junction solar cells, etc. In addition, diluted nitrides open a window for combining Si-based electronics with III-V compounds-based optoelectronics on Si wafers, promising for novel optoelectronic integrated circuits. Full exploration and optimization of this new material system in device applications requires a detailed understanding of their physical properties. Papers I and II report detailed studies of effects of post-growth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and growth conditions (i.e. presence of N ions, N2 flow, growth temperature and In alloying) on the formation of grown-in defects in Ga(In)NP. High N2 flow and bombardment of impinging N ions on grown sample surface is found to facilitate formation of defects, such as Ga interstitial (Gai) related defects, revealed by optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). These defects act as competing carrier recombination centers, which efficiently decrease photoluminescence (PL) intensity. Incorporation of a small amount of In (e.g. 5.1%) in GaNP seems to play a minor role in the formation of the defects. In GaInNP with 45% of In, on the other hand, the defects were found to be abundant. Effect of RTA on the defects is found to depend on initial configurations of Gai related defects formed during the growth. In Paper III, the first identification of an interfacial defect at a heterojunction between two semiconductors (i.e. GaP/GaNP) is presented. The interface nature of the defect is clearly manifested by the observation of ODMR lines originating from only two out of four equivalent &lt;111&gt; orientations. Based on its resolved hyperfine interaction between an unpaired electronic spin (S=1/2) and a nuclear spin (I=1/2), the defect is concluded to involve a P atom at its core with a defect/impurity partner along a &lt;111&gt; direction. Defect formation is shown to be facilitated by N ion bombardment. In Paper IV, the effects of post-growth hydrogenation on the efficiency of the nonradiative (NR) recombination centers in GaNP are studied. Based on the ODMR results, incorporation of H is found to increase the efficiency of the NR recombination via defects such as Ga interstitials. In Paper V, we report on our results from a systematic study of layered structures containing an InGaNAs/GaAs quantum well, by the optically detected cyclotron resonance (ODCR) technique. By monitoring PL emissions from various layers, the predominant ODCR peak is shown to be related to electrons in GaAs/AlAs superlattices. This demonstrates the role of the SL as an escape route for the carriers confined within the InGaNAs/GaAs single quantum well. The last two papers are within a relatively new field of spintronics which utilizes not only the charge (as in conventional electronics) but also the quantum mechanical property of spin of the electron. Spintronics offers a pathway towards integration of information storage, processing and communications into a single technology. Spintronics also promises advantages over conventional charge-based electronics since spin can be manipulated on a much shorter time scale and at lower cost of energy. Success of semiconductor-based spintronics relies on our ability to inject spin polarized electrons or holes into semiconductors, spin transport with minimum loss and reliable spin detection. In Papers VI and VII, we study the efficiency and mechanism for carrier/exciton and spin injection from a diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) ZnMnSe quantum well into nonmagnetic CdSe quantum dots (QD’s) by means of spin-polarized magneto PL combined with tunable laser spectroscopy. By means of a detailed rate equation analysis presented in Paper VI, the injected spin polarization is deduced to be about 32%, decreasing from 100% before the injection. The observed spin loss is shown to occur during the spin injection process. In Paper VII, we present evidence that energy transfer is the dominant mechanism for carrier/exciton injection from the DMS to the QD’s. This is based on the fact that carrier/exciton injection efficiency is independent of the width of the ZnSe tunneling barrier inserted between the DMS and QD’s. In sharp contrast, spin injection efficiency is found to be largely suppressed in the structures with wide barriers, pointing towards increasing spin loss.