Low-temperature electronics has already been studied for more than five decades . Originally the main interest was in fundamental material properties at cryogenic temperatures . Although the real benefits of operating semiconductor devices were clearly demonstrated in the 1970s, a peak in activity occurred a decade later when the cryocompute r seemed to be achievable and the possible hybridization of cryogeni c electronics with high-temperature superconductors was no longer a dream but a real possibility . After a slowing-down period, in the mid 1990s, cryogenic electronics was again placed in the forefront . Not only for space applications, but now, commercial fields are also showing keen interest in this exciting area .

To date, many conference proceedings are available ; however, the only book in the field is a compilation of published journal articles , edited by R. Kirschman in 1986 . The strong potential of cryoelectronics has increased the scientific research and new scientists and engineers are entering the field . This book, therefore, aims to give broad, in-depth coverage of the different aspects of low-temperature electronics, from device physics and material research, to device and circuit performance . A large variety of semiconductor materials and devices are addressed , while special attention is given to cryocoolers .

In general, when discussing low-temperature operation, three main regions can be differentiated, i .e. the liquid nitrogen (77K) range, the liquid helium (4 .2K) range, and finally the deep cryogenic temperatures going down to the mK range. Where the first region may lead to more or less commercial applications, the second one is mainly used for cold electronics associated with space mission such as e .g. ISOPHOT and FIRST (Far InfraRed Space Telescope) . Extreme low-temperatures are the world of astrophysical applications, such as bolometers . The lower the operating temperature the more the activities are shifting from potential industrial applications to research-oriented fields. All three temperature regions will be discussed in the present book, which contains a genera l introduction nine chapters .