I am profoundly convinced that notwithstanding the great progress made in solid-state magnetic sensors, they are as yet in their cloudless infancy, whereas there is still so much lying ahead in a world, unlimited in time and space ... Good Heavens! They are a whole Universe into themselves.

So expounds the author in his preface to this second volume in the exciting new series, Handbook of Sensors and Actuators. The publication presents a balanced view of the overall progress made in the field, whilst summing up scientific achievements as the groundwork for further development.

Readers will find, for the first time, collected in one book, detailed information regarding the physical mechanisms of the origin of magnetosensitivity, the geometry and design of devices, operating modes, basic parameters and methods for their determination, the incorporation of transducers in circuits and smart solutions, many varied applications and other problems relevant to all the current Hall sensors, magnetodiodes, magnetotransistors, carrier-domain magnetometers, SQUID's (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices) and similar transducers of magnetic energy. Particular attention is devoted to semiconductor magnetosensitive sensors and their microelectronic versions since development rates in this area signify a dominant research trend for the future.

Undoubtedly this book will become a vital reference tool for the ever widening circle of researchers and engineers interested in solid-state magnetosensors. It also makes a fundamental contribution to the handbook series as a whole.