Microsystems technologies (MST) have evolved out of microelectronics and now have become an important player in industry. The unifying theme of "microsystems" is the technology for fabricating artificial microstructures. This is at the heart of the information revolution and of the newer fields of microsensors and actuators. Embedded microsensors and microactuators have provided considerable added value to a number of industrial products, reducing unit costs and increasing functionality. The contributors to this publication cover the subject from various aspects, the first being a review of currently used microsystems techniques: surface and bulk micromachining, sensors, LIGA microfabrication techniques, electrostatically actuated microactuators and wafer bonding methods. There follows a series of case studies dealing with major applications e.g. RF-MEMS, MOEMS and magnetic microsystems and, finally, contributions on packaging, testing, reliability and failure analysis techniques, and CAO tools and methods.