Acknowledgment

First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Siegfried Selberherr for providing me with a supportive working environment, where I was able to pursue my ideas and attend numerous international conferences, where I was able to collaborate and exchange ideas with the world's leading experts.

I would also like to thank Dr. Hajdin Ceric for positively responding to my initial interest in coming to the Institute for Microelectronics and for the opportunities provided through the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Reliability Issues in Microelectronics.

Additional thanks go to Giorgio Mutinati, Elise Brunet, Stephan Steinhauer, and Dr. Anton Köck from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) for sharing with me their expertise and insights into the spray pyrolysis deposition process.

I am grateful to Dr. Otmar Ertl for introducing me to topography simulations and the Level Set framework, which is simultaneously a joy and challenge to work with. Additional thanks go to Ines Anzenbacher, Dr. Ceric, and Dr. Thomas Windbacher for their assistance with the abstract translation to German.

I am very grateful to all my colleagues for making me feel like a part of a big collective and making it a pleasure to come to work every day.

To Ines Anzenbacher, I am grateful for showing me that an exceptional work environment is not the only reason to fall in love with Austria.

To my parents, who have sacrificed very much in their lives in order to provide me with a life where I feel that every goal is within my reach, I am and forever remain grateful.

Lastly, many thanks go to my sister, Lidija Filipovic, for her many helpful comments regarding the technical aspects of this work. In addition, her constant support and belief in my abilities have shown me what it is like to go through life with my biggest fan always by my side, cheering me on.