UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Presstek, Inc.

v. Case No. 05-cv-65-PB

Opinion No. 2008 DNH 034

Creo, Inc. & Creo Americas, Inc.

SEALED MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

In this patent infringement action by Presstek, Inc. against

Creo, Inc. and Creo Americas, Inc. (collectively “Creo”), Creo

has moved to exclude the opinions of Presstek’s expert witness

Dr. Samuel Gido under Fed. R. Evid. 104(a) and 702 and the

principles set forth in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharms., Inc., 509

U.S. 579, 597 (1993). For the reasons described herein, I deny

Creo’s motion.

I. BACKGROUND

Presstek is the owner of U.S. Patent No. 5,353,705 (filed

Sept. 22, 1993) (“the ‘705 Patent”), which discloses a multilayer

lithographic printing plate suitable for laser imaging. See

Presstek, Inc. v. Creo, Inc., No. 05-cv-65-PB (D.N.H. Mar. 30,

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 1 of 31
1 As used in the ‘705 Patent, the verb “ablate” means to

decompose into gases and volatile fragments. Partial ablation

means that a portion, but not all, of the third layer decomposes

into gases and volatile fragments. See Presstek, Inc. v. Creo,

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2007) (order construing the ‘705 Patent and denying Creo’s motion

for summary judgment). Such printing plates are employed in

digital offset printing presses that use laser imaging, rather

than more traditional photographic processes, to produce a

printable image on the plate. A digital offset printing press

works essentially as follows: first, a computer-controlled laser

“images” the plate -- that is, selectively removes plate layers

to create a pattern of ink-attracting and ink-repelling areas on

the plate. After this imaging is completed, the plate is inked

and then applied either directly to the final recording medium

(usually paper) or to an intermediate blanket cylinder that in

turn applies the image to the recording medium.

The ‘705 Patent describes a printing plate consisting of

four layers: (1) a top layer, (2) a radiation-absorptive layer,

(3) a secondary ablative layer, and (4) a durable substrate. 

Upon exposure to a laser beam, the top two layers fully ablate,

the third layer partially ablates, and the substrate does not

ablate.1

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 2 of 31
Inc., No. 05-cv-65-PB (D.N.H. Mar. 30, 2007) (order construing

the ‘705 Patent and denying Creo’s motion for summary judgment).

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Presstek alleges that the Clarus WL, a lithographic printing

plate manufactured by its competitor Creo, infringes on the ‘705

Patent. The Clarus WL operates on the same general principle as

the plate described in the ‘705 Patent: a multilayered plate

that, once imaged by a laser that selectively removes certain

layers, develops a pattern of ink-attracting and ink-repelling

surfaces that can be inked and applied to a recording medium.

Clarus WL plates are assembled by a Creo subcontractor as

follows: First, the subcontractor obtains a length of

Polyethylene Terephtalate (“PET”) film, manufactured by SKC Inc.

as product number SH-31. This PET film is laid down as the

substrate. Next, a layer of infrared-absorbing carbon

black/nitrocellulose is applied to the PET substrate. Finally, a

silicone layer is applied on top of the carbon black layer. Creo

contends that the Clarus WL does not infringe the ‘705 Patent

because it does not contain the four claimed layers, but rather

consists of only three layers: the silicone layer, the carbon

black layer, and the PET layer.

Presstek contends that the Clarus WL infringes the ‘705

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 3 of 31
2 In an amorphous state, the PET polymer chains are randomly

intermingled with one another. In a crystalline state, the

polymer chains are ordered and aligned with each other. In a

semi-crystalline state, the polymers are more ordered than in an

amorphous state, but still somewhat intermingled with one

another.

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Patent because the PET film actually consists of two sublayers:

an upper amorphous layer and a lower semi-crystalline layer.2

Thus, Presstek argues, the Clarus WL consists of a total of four

layers: (1) a top layer of silicone, (2) a radiation-absorptive

carbon black layer, (3) a secondary ablative layer of amorphous

PET, and (4) a substrate of semi-crystalline PET. Presstek

further contends that the amorphous PET layer (the “third layer”)

partially ablates during laser imaging.

Presstek relies on the opinion of Dr. Samuel Gido to show:

(1) the Clarus WL’s PET layer actually consists of two sublayers, the upper one being amorphous and the lower one being

semi-crystalline, and (2) the amorphous PET layer partially

ablates during imaging. Dr. Gido is an Associate Professor of

Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of

Massachusetts, Amherst. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

and Polymer Science and Technology from the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (“MIT”) and a B.S.E. in Chemical

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Engineering from Princeton University. His field of expertise is

polymer structure and morphology, and he has extensive experience

using electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy in that

field. He has authored or co-authored sixty-seven articles in

peer-reviewed publications and given numerous lectures in his

field.

As discussed in more detail below, Creo has moved to exclude

Dr. Gido’s testimony both as to the structure of the PET film and

as to partial ablation of the PET during imaging.

A. Dr. Gido’s Testing

To conduct his tests, Dr. Gido obtained two rolls of Clarus

WL plates. He left one roll un-imaged. He took the other roll

to a press operator who, using a direct imaging laser press,

imaged a test pattern consisting of various lines and dots onto

the roll.

1. Testing of Un-Imaged Roll

Dr. Gido chilled the plate to -60EC and used a microtome to

take thin cross-sections of the plate. He then used transmission

electron microscopy (“TEM”) to inspect the silicone and carbon

black layers. Based on his examination of the TEM images, Dr.

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 5 of 31
3 Dr. Gido’s 0.5 μm measurement was erroneous because the

silicone top layer had peeled away during preparation of the

samples. In his supplementary report, Dr. Gido attempted to more

accurately measure the thickness of the silicone and carbon black

layers by first depositing a gold coating approximately 0.5 μm

thick onto the imaged side of the roll. This gold coating was

used to mark the location of the upper surface and ensure that it

remained in place for microtoming. Using SEM micrographs, Dr.

Gido concluded that the silicone and carbon black layers had a

combined thickness of approximately 1.3 μm, not 0.5 μm.

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Gido concluded that the silicone and carbon black layers had a

combined thickness of approximately 0.5 μm. (After further

testing, Dr. Gido later revised this figure to 1.3 μm.3) Next,

Dr. Gido used selected area electron diffraction (“SAED”) to

determine the structure of the PET material. To minimize the

risk of beam damage, he calibrated his instruments using areas

from which data was not recorded, and then used a narrow spot

size, low power settings, and short exposure times to record the

actual data. Using these techniques, Dr. Gido took diffraction

patterns in three vertical columns, starting near the interface

with the carbon black layer and proceeding in steps approximately

2 μm apart, progressing from the top to the bottom of the PET

layer. Based on these diffraction patterns, Dr. Gido determined

that the PET was amorphous in the top 6-7 μm from the interface

with the carbon black layer, but semi-crystalline from there to

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the bottom.

2. Testing of Imaged Roll

After the roll was imaged, the press operator ran about one

hundred paper copies of the pattern and confirmed that the

pattern had imaged properly. He then imaged the test pattern on

other sections of the roll and turned the entire roll over to Dr.

Gido.

Using the same techniques as with the un-imaged roll, Dr.

Gido performed TEM and SAED imaging on cross-sections of the

imaged roll. He found that the imaged roll had the same layer

structure as the un-imaged roll.

Dr. Gido then microtomed a cross-section of the plate, such

that one of the test pattern lines imaged into the plate was

visible in cross-section, and used a scanning electron microscope

(“SEM”) to view the edge profile. From the SEM image, Dr. Gido

concluded that the laser had caused ablation to a depth ranging

from 1.3 to 2.0 μm, depending on the exact location measured. 

Using his previous measurements of the silicone, carbon black,

and PET layers, Dr. Gido concluded that the line extended

partially into the amorphous PET layer.

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Dr. Gido then used atomic force microscopy (“AFM”) to plot

the topography of the top surface of the plate. The AFM

measurements indicated that for lines in the test image, the

average difference in height between the top surface and the

bottom of the imaged line was 1.36 μm, with a standard deviation

of 0.11 μm. Similarly, the AFM measurements indicated that for

dots in the test image, the average difference in height was 1.77

μm, with a standard deviation of 0.10 μm.

Based on the SEM and AFM depth measurements, along with the

absence of any carbon black material in the imaged areas, Dr.

Gido inferred that the laser fully ablated the carbon black layer

and partially ablated the amorphous PET layer.

II. STANDARD

Fed. R. Evid. 702 envisions a gatekeeping role for trial

courts in which they screen the admission of expert testimony for

both reliability and relevance. United States v. Diaz, 300 F.3d

66, 73 (1st Cir. 2002). In this gatekeeping role, the trial

court must evaluate whether a qualified expert’s testimony by

determining whether: “(1) the testimony is based upon sufficient

facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable

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principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the

principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case.” Fed.

R. Evid. 702. The party seeking the admission of expert

testimony bears the burden of demonstrating these facts by a

preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Mooney, 315 F.3d

54, 63 (1st Cir. 2002).

The factors that will generally assist a trial court in

making this determination are: “(1) whether the theory or

technique can be and has been tested; (2) whether the technique

has been subject to peer review and publication; (3) the

technique's known or potential rate of error; and (4) the level

of the theory or technique's acceptance within the relevant

discipline.” United States v. Mooney, 315 F.3d 54, 62 (1st Cir.

2002) (citing Daubert, 509 U.S. at 593-94). “These factors,

however, are not definitive or exhaustive, and the trial judge

enjoys broad latitude to use other factors to evaluate

reliability.” Id.; see Daubert, 509 U.S. at 593 (“Many factors

will bear on the inquiry, and we do not presume to set out a

definitive checklist or test”). 

Although a court may exclude an expert’s opinion because it

“is connected to existing data only by the ipse dixit of the

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expert” and “there is simply too great an analytical gap between

the data and the opinion proffered,” Gen. Elec. Co. v. Joiner,

522 U.S. 136, 146 (1997), the primary focus of the inquiry is on

the expert’s “principles and methodology, not on the conclusions

that they generate.” Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595. As the Supreme

Court has emphasized, “[v]igorous cross-examination, presentation

of contrary evidence, and careful instruction on the burden of

proof are the traditional and appropriate means of attacking

shaky but admissible evidence.” Id. at 596.

III. ANALYSIS

I must address one preliminary matter before proceeding to

the substantive analysis. Creo has moved to exclude the rebuttal

declarations of Drs. Carlson and Gido (both provided by Presstek

as exhibits to its Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Exclude

Expert Opinions of Dr. Samuel Gido) because it contends that the

disclosures are untimely and in violation of Rule 26. However,

Presstek submitted these declarations for the sole purpose of

rebutting Creo’s Daubert arguments, not to introduce them for

evidentiary purposes at trial. Thus, these declarations are not

improper supplemental disclosures; they merely respond to the

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criticisms levied by Creo’s Daubert motion and give additional

insight into the experiments that Dr. Gido has already conducted. 

Insofar as Creo seeks to preclude the court from considering

these declarations for Daubert purposes, I deny that motion.

Turning to the merits, Creo focuses on two aspects of Dr.

Gido’s report that allegedly fail to satisfy Daubert: first, Dr.

Gido’s opinion regarding the existence of an amorphous PET layer;

and second, his opinion that the PET partially ablated during

imaging. For the reasons discussed below, both aspects of Dr.

Gido’s report are admissible under Rule 702.

A. Existence of Amorphous PET Layer

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony as to the existence of

an amorphous PET layer should be excluded because: (1) Dr.

Gido’s conclusion is implausible on its face; (2) Dr. Gido’s SAED

procedures were so likely to cause radiation damage to the sample

that they were scientifically unreliable; (3) even if his SAED

procedures did not damage the sample, Dr. Gido took an

insufficient number of SAED patterns; (4) Dr. Gido failed to test

the top 1 μm of the PET; and (5) Dr. Gido failed to test

reference PET samples. None of these arguments justifies the

exclusion of Dr. Gido’s testimony under Rule 702.

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1. Implausibility of Conclusion

Creo first argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be

excluded because his conclusion that the Clarus WL’s PET has an

amorphous top layer is implausible on its face. Specifically,

Creo argues that such a conclusion is inconsistent with the

properties of most biaxially-oriented PET and with the particular

manufacturing processes used to create SH-31 PET. Thus, Creo

argues, Dr. Gido’s conclusions could only be correct if Creo or

its subcontractors did something unusual to the PET to create an

amorphous upper layer, an allegation which Creo denies.

Whatever the ultimate factual merits of Creo’s argument may

be, it only calls into question the plausibility of Dr. Gido’s

conclusions, not the underlying principles, methodology, or

inferential leaps he made to support those conclusions. Thus, it

goes only to the weight, not the admissibility, of Dr. Gido’s

testimony. See Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595 (“The focus . . . must

be solely on principles and methodology, not on the conclusions

that they generate”); Ruiz-Troche, 161 F.3d at 85 (“Daubert does

not require that a party who proffers expert testimony carry the

burden of proving to the judge that the expert’s assessment of

the situation is correct”). Accordingly, this critique is not a

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proper basis for excluding Dr. Gido’s testimony.

2. Considering and Minimizing SAED-induced Damage to Plate

Creo next argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be

excluded because his SAED procedures were so likely to cause

radiation damage to the PET samples that they were scientifically

unreliable, and that his conclusions are in fact false amorphous

results attributable to radiation damage. Importantly, neither

criticism attacks Dr. Gido’s basic decision to use SAED; Dr.

Michael Rubner, one of Creo’s experts, himself admits that SAED

may be used to determine whether a polymer sample is crystalline

or amorphous. Rather, Creo is criticizing the particular beam

settings and techniques that Dr. Gido used to minimize the risks

of beam damage.

I am satisfied that Dr. Gido’s SAED procedures were derived

from reliable principles, using generally accepted techniques to

minimize the risks of beam damage. To minimize the risk of beam

damage, Dr. Gido began by calibrating his instruments using areas

from which data was not recorded, testing the sensitivity of the

PET to beam damage. For recording the actual data, he used a

narrow spot size, low power settings, and short exposure times. 

Such low-dose techniques are commonly used in peer-reviewed

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studies to prevent beam damage. See Shujun Chen et al., Oriented

Lamellar Structure and Pore Formation Mechanism in CSX-Processed

Porous High-Density Polyethylene, 39 Macromolecules 2849, 2851

(2006) (co-authored by Dr. Gido) (“[C]are was taken to limit

unnecessary electron beam exposure, thus minimizing electron beam

damage and producing the best possible electron diffraction

patterns. This included such standard procedures as focusing on

an adjacent area to the area where data was recorded, using the

smallest possible spot size, limiting the spread of the beam, and

turning the beam off when it was not needed.”); Lawrence F.

Drummy et al., Imaging of Crystal Morphology and Molecular

Simulations of Surface Energies in Pentacene Thin Films, 110 J.

Physical Chemistry 6066, 6067 (2006) (noting that low-dose TEM

techniques were employed); Yu Shen et al., Microstructural

Characterization of Bombyx mori Silk Fibers, 31 Macromolecules

8857, 8861 (1998) (describing low-dose SAED patterns); Regina

Valluzzi et al., Orientation of Silk III at the Air-Water

Interface, 24 Int’l J. Biological Macromolecules 237, 238 (1999)

(co-authored by Dr. Gido) (noting that low-dose TEM techniques

were employed).

In light of the reliability of Dr. Gido’s methods, Creo’s

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further contention that Dr. Gido’s low dosages and short exposure

times nevertheless damaged the sample is not a proper Daubert

challenge. That contention goes to the weight, not the

admissibility, of Dr. Gido’s opinion.

3. Number of Samples Taken

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because he only took three vertical lines of samples (comprising

a total of twenty-nine sample spots) for his SAED patterns.

Creo relies on Wessmann v. Gittens, 160 F.3d 790, 805 (1st

Cir. 1998) for the proposition that lack of thoroughness or

failure to exclude confounding variables is “unacceptable.” That

reliance is misplaced; the issue in Wessmann was not the

admissibility of an expert report, but whether the expert’s

conclusions met the relevant burden of proof. See Wessmann, 160

F.3d at 805-06. Accordingly, Wessmann offers no useful guidance

in the Daubert context. See Ambrosini v. Labarraque, 101 F.3d

129, 135 (D.C. Cir. 1996) (“[Expert] evidence does not warrant

exclusion simply because it fails to establish the causal link to

a specified degree of probability.”).

In this case, Creo apparently concedes that Dr. Gido’s

general methodology of conducting multiple vertical SAED patterns

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is reliable. The only issue is the number of SAED patterns that

ought to be conducted. The scientific literature provides

support for the idea of extrapolating from three or fewer

TEM/SAED patterns to make generalizations about the morphology of

entire polymer films or sheets of uniform composition. See,

e.g., Chen, supra at 2852 (using a single SAED pattern to

generalize about the morphology of an entire sheet of porous

high-density polyethylene); Drummy, supra at 6067-68 (using two

TEM/SAED patterns to generalize about the morphology of an entire

pentacene thin film layer); S. Hong et al., Morphology of

Semicrystalline Block Copolymers: Polyethylene-b-atacticpolypropylene, 42 Polymer 5909, 5911-14 (2001) (using two SAED

patterns to generalize about the morphology of a uniform sample

composed of a blend of a diblock copolymer and a polyethylene

homopolymer); R. Valluzzi et al., Bombix Mori Silk Fibroin Liquid

Crystallinity and Crystallization at Aqueous Fibroin-Organic

Solvent Interfaces, 24 Int’l J. Biological Macromolecules 227,

229-32 (1999) (co-authored by Dr. Gido) (using one SAED pattern

to generalize about the morphology of an entire silk fibroin

film).

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In this case, Dr. Gido is making generalizations about each

horizontal plane of the Clarus WL plate based on three TEM/SAED

patterns from that plane. One would expect from the

manufacturing process for the Clarus WL that each horizontal

plane should have uniform properties over its entire area. Thus,

even though the peer-reviewed articles cited above all deal with

surfaces considerably smaller than a Clarus WL plate, the

underlying principle -- extrapolating from a small number of

TEM/SAED patterns to make conclusions about the properties of an

entire sheet of uniform composition -- is the same scientifically

valid principle of extrapolation as that used in the literature. 

Accordingly, while Dr. Gido’s decision to use only three vertical

sets of SAED patterns for the entire Clarus WL plate casts doubt

on the accuracy of his conclusions, it goes to the weight, not

the admissibility, of those conclusions.

4. Testing of Top 1 μm

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because he did not test the 1 μm of the PET immediately below the

interface between the PET and the carbon black layers. Because

of this omission, Creo argues, Dr. Gido has not excluded the

possibility that the top 1 μm of the PET is semi-crystalline and

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therefore cannot infer that it shared the amorphous properties of

the underlying planes that he did test. Dr. Gido defends his

decision by pointing to three factors: First, the aperture size

of the electron beam (0.5 μm) makes it impossible to reliably

take data in the upper 1 μm of the PET. Second, a diffraction

pattern taken too close to the interface between the PET and the

carbon black could end up measuring diffraction patterns from the

carbon black as well as the PET, rendering the results

meaningless. Third, taking a diffraction pattern in the upper 1

μm of the PET would put it in close proximity to the pattern

immediately below it, creating a risk that the two patterns would

overlap and damage the PET, rendering the results meaningless. 

Although the merits of Dr. Gido’s third objection appear

dubious (presumably, Dr. Gido could have adjusted the other

diffraction patterns another 0.5 μm lower to avoid any overlap

between patterns), the first two provide substantial technical

and practical reasons justifying Dr. Gido’s decision not to test

the upper 1 μm of the PET. Rule 702 does not demand that experts

perform the impossible; it only requires the proponent to show

that “the expert’s conclusion has been arrived at in a

scientifically sound and methodologically reliable fashion.” See

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Ruiz-Troche, 161 F.3d at 85. It would be irrational to exclude

Dr. Gido’s testimony on the ground that he refused to conduct

additional tests that, in his scientific judgment, would be

meaningless or misleading. Accordingly, I find that Dr. Gido’s

decision not to take diffraction patterns in the top 1 μm of the

PET layer goes to the weight, not the admissibility, of his

testimony.

5. Testing of Reference PET Samples

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because although he performed TEM/SAED testing on both imaged and

un-imaged samples of the Clarus WL, he did not perform TEM/SAED

testing on PET samples with known properties, such as an

unmodified sheet of SH-31 PET. While, as Creo notes, “[f]ailure

to test for alternative causes or to use control experiments may

provide a basis for exclusion,” In re Omeprazole Patent Litig.,

490 F. Supp. 2d 381, 402 (S.D.N.Y. 2007), it is also true that

“experts are not required to perform every possible test” of

alternative theories or causes for their testimony to be

admissible. Id. at 461 (where plaintiff’s drug chemistry expert

concluded that the presence of acetone in the tested product

explained certain inconsistencies in his mass spectrometry

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results, it was not necessary for him to perform a “spiking” test

to isolate the influence of acetone); see also Microstrategy,

Inc. v. Business Objects, S.A., 429 F.3d 1344, 1355 (Fed. Cir.

2005) (“While an expert need not consider every possible factor

to render a ‘reliable’ opinion, the expert still must consider

enough factors to make his or her opinion sufficiently reliable

in the eyes of the court”).

In this case, testing other PET samples could have generated

data relevant to Dr. Gido’s hypothesis that the Clarus WL’s

manufacturing process somehow modified the SH-31 PET. Such data

is not, however, necessary to support his conclusions. Dr.

Gido’s decision not to conduct such testing therefore does not

make his existing analysis so incomplete that it would be

inadmissible.

B. Partial Ablation of PET

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony as to the existence of

an amorphous PET layer should be excluded because: Dr. Gido did

not directly observe ablation taking place; Dr. Gido failed to

eliminate other possible explanations for the cratering of the

PET; Dr. Gido’s use of AFM and SEM to measure ablation was a

“theory” developed solely for this litigation; Dr. Gido’s

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measurements of ablation depth were inconsistent with other

information regarding the thickness of the Clarus WL’s layers;

and Dr. Gido’s gold layering method was unreliable. None of

these justifies exclusion under Rule 702.

1. No Direct Observation of Ablation

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because he did not directly observe the PET decomposing into

gases and volatile fragments during the imaging process, and

instead simply measured the amount of PET removed from the plates

after the imaging and cleaning processes were complete. Direct

observation of ablation might well be more convincing to a factfinder than indirect evidence, if such observation could reliably

be performed inside a working printing press. But the role of

the trial court as Daubert gatekeeper is a limited one. See

Ruiz-Troche, 161 F.3d at 85 (“Daubert neither requires nor

empowers trial courts to determine which of several competing

scientific theories has the best provenance”). Daubert “demands

only that the proponent of the evidence show that the expert’s

conclusion has been arrived at in a scientifically sound and

methodologically reliable fashion.” Id.

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In this case, the mere fact that Dr. Gido relied on

inferential reasoning (namely, examining the plate after imaging

rather than attempting to collect evidence of ablation during the

imaging process) rather than trying to directly observe ablation

does not make his methods unscientific. Indeed, if inferential

reasoning were held to be unscientific, then courts would be

forced to treat whole swaths of scientific inquiry -- including

most of astrophysics, geology, and evolutionary biology -- as

inadmissible under Daubert. Such a result is plainly wrong. 

Accordingly, the mere fact that Dr. Gido relied on inferential

reasoning to conclude that the PET ablated, without making direct

observations of the ablation, is not a proper basis for excluding

his testimony.

2. Failure to Eliminate Other Possible Explanations

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony regarding ablation

should be excluded because he did not account for the possibility

that, rather than ablating, the missing PET was mechanically

displaced from the Clarus WL plate by the post-imaging cleaning

process or some other unknown process. This so weakens Dr.

Gido’s analysis, Creo argues, that the ipse dixit of Dr. Gido is

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4 This cleaning process consists of a wet cleaning, dry

cleaning, and then vacuuming by three devices that move across

the surface of the plate.

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all that connects the data to his conclusion that the PET ablated

during imaging. See Joiner, 522 U.S. at 146. A mere failure to

exclude alternate explanations, however, generally goes to the

weight and not the admissibility of expert testimony. See

Currier v. United Techs. Corp., 393 F.3d 246, 252 (1st Cir. 2004)

(finding that in age discrimination case, statistician’s failure

to take into account the wide difference in circumstances among

terminated employees went to the weight, not the admissibility,

of his testimony); McMillan v. Mass. Soc’y for the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals, 140 F.3d 288, 302-03 (1st Cir. 1998) (finding

that even though an expert’s statistical model “may not have

included every relevant variable,” it was relevant to the issue

of disparate treatment and “it was up to defendants to exploit

and discredit the analysis during cross examination”);

Omeprazole, 490 F. Supp. 2d at 461 (“Plaintiffs’ experts are not

required to perform every possible test”).

In this case, the post-imaging cleaning of the plate4 is the

only process other than the imaging itself that Creo has

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5 Moreover, as Presstek points out, it is difficult to

believe that print shops would choose to buy a press that

employed such a destructive cleaning process. Any cleaning

process powerful enough to gouge 1-2 μm holes into the PET

substrate would likely introduce unwanted features into prints by

damaging the laser-imaged patterns of ink-attracting and ink-

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identified as a possible means by which PET could be removed from

the plate. Dr. Gido had empirically grounded, scientifically

valid reasons for not conducting an in-depth investigation into

the possibility that this cleaning process would affect his

results. First, the mere fact that the sample was subjected to a

cleaning process does not necessarily imply that the cleaning

process interfered with the evidence of ablation. See M.

Himmelbauer et al., Single-Shot UV-Laser Ablation of Polyimide

with Variable Pulse Lengths, 63 Applied Physics A 87, 88 (1996)

(partially ablated sample was cleaned with acetone before using

AFM to investigate extent of ablation). Second, because the

cleaning process moves across the un-imaged as well as the imaged

portions of the plate, any cleaning process that is sufficiently

aggressive to remove pieces of PET would likely also damage the

overlying silicone and carbon black layers. Dr. Gido found no

evidence of such damage, so he reasonably concluded that the

cleaning process probably did not remove any un-ablated PET.5

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repelling areas.

-25-

The fact that Dr. Gido chose not to explore every possible

alternative removal mechanism -- particularly a mechanism that he

reasonably dismissed as farfetched -- is not a proper basis for

excluding his testimony. This is a matter going to the weight of

his testimony, not its admissibility.

3. Use of AFM and SEM to Measure Ablation

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because his experimental technique -- using AFM and SEM to

measure cratering of the PET, and inferring the degree of

ablation from those measurements -- is scientifically unreliable

and is a “theory” developed solely for this litigation. This

argument has no merit.

If ablation is the main mechanism by which material is

removed from a formerly flat surface, then it is common sense

that measuring the cratering of that surface is a valid method

for determining how much material ablated from it. Indeed, as

discussed below, the scientific literature contains numerous

examples of AFM and SEM being used to infer how much a laser has

ablated a polymer sample.

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 25 of 31
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Peer-reviewed articles have used SEM to measure ablation in

other laser-imaged polymer films used in printing presses. See

I-Yin Sandy Lee et al., Dynamics of Laser Ablation Transfer

Imaging Investigated by Ultrafast Microscopy, 36 J. Imaging Sci.

& Tech. 180, 183 (1992) (using SEM images to track ablation

during laser imaging of a laser ablation transfer (“LAT”) film);

William A. Tolbert et al., High-Speed Color Imaging by Laser

Ablation Transfer with a Dynamic Release Layer: Fundamental

Mechanisms, 37 J. Imaging Sci. & Tech. 411, 414-15 (1993) (using

SEM images to identify irregular ablation patterns after laser

imaging of a LAT film). SEM has also been used to measure

ablation of polymers in other contexts. See, e.g., Thomas

Lippert & J. Thomas Dickinson, Chemical and Spectroscopic Aspects

of Polymer Ablation: Special Features and Novel Directions, 103

Chem. Rev. 453, 458 (2003) (using SEM images of ablation craters

to draw conclusions about ablation rates); Thomas Lippert et al.,

Laser Ablation of Doped Polymer Systems, 9 Advanced Materials

105, 108-10 (1997) (discussing several other studies that have

used SEM images to draw conclusions about ablation rates and

mechanisms).

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Similarly, AFM is also used as a means of testing for

ablation of polymers. See Himmelbauer, supra at 87-88 (using AFM

to investigate surface topology of laser-ablated polyimide

foils); Th. Kunz et al., Photoablation and Microstructuring of

Polyestercarbonates and Their Blends with a XeCl Excimer Laser,

67 Applied Physics A 347, 348-49 (1998) (using AFM and SEM to

measure laser-ablated craters); Lippert, Chemical and

Spectroscopic Aspects of Polymer Ablation, supra at 457 (noting

that AFM has been used in ablation studies to examine surface

topology and crater depths).

Accordingly, there is nothing novel, untested, or

unscientific about Dr. Gido’s use of SEM and AFM to measure

ablation.

4. Accuracy of Measurements of Ablation Depth

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because his measurements of ablation depth are inconsistent with

Creo’s knowledge of the thickness of the layers of the Clarus WL. 

Like its criticism of Dr. Gido’s conclusion that two PET layers

exist, this only calls into question the plausibility of Dr.

Gido’s conclusions, not the underlying principles, methodology,

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or inferential leaps he made to support those conclusions. Thus,

it goes only to the weight, not the admissibility, of Dr. Gido’s

testimony. See Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595 (“The focus . . . must

be solely on principles and methodology, not on the conclusions

that they generate”); Ruiz-Troche, 161 F.3d at 85 (“Daubert does

not require that a party who proffers expert testimony carry the

burden of proving to the judge that the expert’s assessment of

the situation is correct”). Accordingly, this critique is not a

proper basis for excluding Dr. Gido’s testimony.

5. Reliability of Gold Layering Method

Creo argues that Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded

because the gold layer that he applied to the top of the silicone

in his supplementary report may have diffused into the silicone

layer during the deposition process. Relatedly, Creo argues that

Dr. Gido’s testimony should be excluded because his decision to

microtome the Clarus WL at -60EC, which is above silicone’s glass

transition temperature of -125EC, caused unnecessary damage to

the sample.

As to the gold layer, Creo concedes that depositing a thin

(approximately 0.01 μm) metal layer onto the sample is a standard

method of preparing the sample for SEM analysis. Creo takes

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issue, however, with the thickness of the gold layer, arguing

that it increased the likelihood that the gold diffused into the

silicone and obscured the true upper boundary of the silicone

layer. Creo further argues that a “skilled scientist” would know

to place an intervening layer of titanium or chromium between the

silicone and gold layers, which would increase the gold’s

adhesion to the underlying material and decrease the chances that

the gold layer would be moved or damaged during microtoming. 

These factors may call into question the accuracy of Dr. Gido’s

measurements or otherwise damage his credibility. Nevertheless,

Dr. Gido points out that other studies have directly adhered

noble metal layers to polymers when microtoming cross-sections of

the polymers, see Hongqi Xiang et al., Electrically Induced

Patterning in Block Copolymer Films, 37 Macromolecules 5358, 5360

(2004) (adhering an evaporated platinum layer to microtomed

silicone), and that the published literature suggests that the

diffusion would not be great enough to significantly affect his

results. Accordingly, Dr. Gido has made a showing of reliability

sufficient to satisfy Daubert. See Ruiz-Troche, 161 F.3d at 85

(“As long as an expert’s scientific testimony rests upon good

grounds, based on what is known, it should be tested by the

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adversary process -- competing expert testimony and active crossexamination -- rather than excluded from jurors’ scrutiny for

fear that they will not grasp its complexities or satisfactorily

weigh its inadequacies” (internal cites and quotations omitted)). 

Creo’s criticisms of his gold layering technique go to the

weight, not the admissibility, of his testimony. 

As to the cutting temperature, Creo argues that Dr. Gido

should have performed his microtoming at -125EC (the glass

transition temperature of silicone) to avoid damaging the

silicone layer -- a risk that, Creo argues, was especially great

in light of his choice to apply a thick gold layer. Dr. Gido

responds that he selected a cutting temperature of -60EC to avoid

damage to the PET and carbon black layers, which would become

brittle and prone to cracking at the temperatures advocated by

Creo. Either alternative involves a tradeoff; the question of

whether Dr. Gido made the correct tradeoff in the circumstances

is a question for the jury, not an issue of admissibility.

IV. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, Creo’s Motion to Exclude Expert

Opinions of Dr. Samuel Gido (Doc. No. 131) is denied.

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SO ORDERED.

/s/Paul Barbadoro

Paul Barbadoro

United States District Judge

February 8, 2008

cc: Courtney Quinn Brooks, Esq.

Brian A. Comack, Esq.

Kenneth P. George, Esq.

Michael J. Kasdan, Esq.

William F. Lee, Esq.

Gordon MacDonald, Esq.

Lisa J. Pirozzolo, Esq.

James D. Rosenberg, Esq.

Marc H. Cohen, Esq.

Arpiar G. Saunders, Jr., Esq.

Michael V. Solomita, Esq.

S. Calvin Walden, Esq.

Case 1:05-cv-00065-PB Document 145 Filed 02/08/08 Page 31 of 31