Binaural Model-Based Speech Intelligibility Enhancement and Assessment in Hearing Aids

The enhancement of speech intelligibility in noise is still the main subject in hearing aid research. Based on the advanced results obtained with the hearing glasses, in the present research the speech intelligibility is even further improved by the application of binaural post-filters. The functionalities of these filters are related to the...

Rigorous simulations of emitting and non-emitting nano-optical structures

In the next decade, several applications of nanotechnology will change our lives. LED lighting is about to replace the common light bulb. The main advantages are its energy efficiency and long lifetime. LEDs can be much more efficient, when part of the emitted light that is currently trapped in the device, could be radiated out of the device....

A systematic analysis of the optical merit function landscape: Towards improved optimization methods in optical design

A major problem in optical system design is that the optical merit function landscape is usually very complicated, especially for complex design problems where many minima are present. Finding good new local minima is then a difficult task. We show however that a certain degree of order is present in the optical design space, which is best...

Optimization and analysis of deep-UV imaging systems

This thesis has been devoted to two main subjects: the compensation of birefringence induced by spatial dispersion (BISD) in Deep-UV lithographic objectives and the optimization of optical systems in general.