The International Conference on Laser Physics and Quantum Optics was held in Shanghai from August 25 to August 28, 1999, to discuss many exciting new developments in laser physics and quantum optics. The international character of the conference was manifested by the fact that scientists from over 13 countries participated and lectured at the conference. There were four keynote lectures delivered by Nobel laureate Willis Lamb, Jr., Profs. H. Walther, A.E. Siegman and M.O. Scully. In addition, there were 34 invited lectures, 27 contributed oral presentations, and 59 poster papers. This volume contains many of the papers presented at the conference.

Since the advent of the laser about 40 years ago, the fields of laser physics and quantum optics have evolved into a major disciplines. The early studies included optical coherence theory and semiclassical and quantum mechanical theories of the laser. More recently many new and interesting effects have been predicted. These include the role of coherent atomic effects in lasing without inversion and electromagnetically induced transparency, atom optics, laser cooling and trapping, teleportation, the single-atom micromaser and its role in quantum measurement theory, to name a few. The International Conference on Laser Physics and Quantum Optics was held in Shanghai, China, from August 25 to August 28,1999, to discuss these and many other exciting developments in laser physics and quantum optics. The international character of the conference was manifested by the fact that scientists from over 13 countries participated and lectured at the conference. There were four keynote lectures delivered by Nobel laureate Willis Lamb, Jr., Profs. H. Walther, A.E. Siegman, and M.O. Scully. In addition, there were 34 invited lectures, 27 contributed oral presentations, and 59 poster papers. We are grateful to all the participants of the conference and the contributors of this volume

Microbiochips, such as a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices and micro total analysis systems, can be regarded conceptually as a biological equivalent of conventional silicon integrated circuits, which involve miniaturization and integration of electronics. As its name implies, an ideal LOC should have a very small footprint and yet still be capable of functioning as a laboratory in which partial or complete chemical or biological analysis can be performed automatically. This book provides an overview of 3D femtosecond laser direct writing technology and highlight its potential for fabrication of complex smart microsystems by furnishing some examples of fabrication and hybrid integration of microfluidics, micromechanics, photonics, and electronics.