Book excerpt: This handbook provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date and easy-to-apply information on the physics, mechanics, reliability and packaging of micro- and opto-electronic materials. It details their assemblies, structures and systems, and each chapter contains a summary of the state-of-the-art in a particular field. The book provides practical recommendations on how to apply current knowledge and technology to design and manufacture. It further describes how to operate a viable, reliable and cost-effective electronic component or photonic device, and how to make such a device into a successful commercial product.