A foreword is usually prepared by someone who knows the author or who knows enough to provide additional insight on the purpose of the work. When asked to write this foreword, I had no problem with what I wanted to say about the work or the author. I did, however, wonder why people read a foreword. It is probably of value to know the background of the writer of a book; it is probably also of value to know the background of the individual who is commenting on the work. I consider myself a good friend of the author, and when I was asked to write a few words I felt honored to provide my view of Ray Prasad, his expertise, and the contribution that he has made to our industry. This book is about the industry, its technology, and its struggle to learn and compete in a global market bursting with new ideas to satisfy a voracious appetite for new and innovative electronic products. I had the good fortune to be there at the beginning (or almost) and have witnessed the growth and excitement in the opportunities and challenges afforded the electronic industries' engineering and manufacturing talents. In a few years my involve ment will span half a century."

The packaging of electronic devices and systems represents a significant challenge for product designers and managers. Performance, efficiency, cost considerations, dealing with the newer IC packaging technologies, and EMI/RFI issues all come into play. Thermal considerations at both the device and the systems level are also necessary.

The Electronic Packaging Handbook, a new volume in the Electrical Engineering Handbook Series, provides essential factual information on the design, manufacturing, and testing of electronic devices and systems.

Co-published with the IEEE, this is an ideal resource for engineers and technicians involved in any aspect of design, production, testing or packaging of electronic products, regardless of whether they are commercial or industrial in nature. Topics addressed include design automation, new IC packaging technologies, materials, testing, and safety.

Electronics packaging continues to include expanding and evolving topics and technologies, as the demand for smaller, faster, and lighter products continues without signs of abatement. These demands mean that individuals in each of the specialty areas involved in electronics packaging-such as electronic, mechanical, and thermal designers, and manufacturing and test engineers-are all interdependent on each others knowledge. The Electronic Packaging Handbook elucidates these specialty areas and helps individuals broaden their knowledge base in this ever-growing field.

A foreword is usually prepared by someone who knows the author or who knows enough to provide additional insight on the purpose of the work. When asked to write this foreword, I had no problem with what I wanted to say about the work or the author. I did, however, wonder why people read a foreword. It is probably of value to know the background of the writer of a book; it is probably also of value to know the background of the individual who is commenting on the work. I consider myself a good friend of the author, and when I was asked to write a few words I felt honored to provide my view of Ray Prasad, his expertise, and the contribution that he has made to our industry. This book is about the industry, its technology, and its struggle to learn and compete in a global market bursting with new ideas to satisfy a voracious appetite for new and innovative electronic products. I had the good fortune to be there at the beginning (or almost) and have witnessed the growth and excitement in the opportunities and challenges afforded the electronic industries' engineering and manufacturing talents. In a few years my involve ment will span half a century.