While electronic and optical processes of semiconductors are thoroughly studied, it is the mechanical properties that often dictate fundamental limits on the fabrication and packaging of semiconductor devices. This volume, part of the ''Semiconductors and Semimetals'' series, written by an international group of experts, addresses all aspects of mechanical behaviour of semiconductor materials - elasticity, plasticity, and fracture - to better define processing limitation, design issues, and device reliability. Topics discussed include fracture and deformation properties of semi-conductors and their relation to crystal growth, thermal processing, and alloy design; micromechanics of thin films and strained layer superlattices; elastic properties of semiconductors and semiconductor alloys; and silicon microdevides. The book is aimed at electrical engineers, materials scientists, condensed matter physicists, and researchers and technicians in the semiconductor industry.