Thanks to increasing power consumption and component density, localized?hot spots? are becoming a serious challenge in IC (integrated circuit) chip design? so serious, in fact, that Intel recently had to yank a circuit because it was literally burning. For IC engineers grappling with high power dissipation and thermal issues, new droplet-based cooling techniques using digital microfluidics technology could provide the solution. This definitive guide paves the way, with design and implementation methodologies and prototypes for utilizing this groundbreaking technology. After reviewing cooling.