Book excerpt: This book discusses the basic physics of semiconductor macroatoms at the nanoscale as well as their potential application as building blocks for the realization of new-generation quantum devices.It provides a review on state-of-the art fabrication and characterization of semiconductor quantum dots aimed at implementing single-electron/exciton devices for quantum information processing and communication. After an introductory chapter on the fundamentals of quantum dots, a number of more specialized review articles presents a comprehensive picture of this rapidly developing field, specifically including strongly multidisciplinary topics such as state-of-the-art nanofabrication and optical characterization, fully microscopic theoretical modeling of nontrivial many-body processes, as well as design and optimization of novel quantum-device architectures.Sample Chapter(s)