High toughness thermally stable polycrystalline diamond

Abstract

A mixture for fabricating a cutting table, the cutting table, and a method of fabricating the cutting table. The mixture includes a cutting table powder and a binder. The binder includes at least one carbide formed from an element selected from at least one of Groups IV, V, and VI of the Periodic Table. The carbide is in its non-stoichiometric and/or stoichiometric form. The binder can include the element. In certain embodiments, the binder includes one or more of the cutting table powder and a catalyst. The cutting table is formed by sintering the mixture using a solid phase sintering process or a near solid phase sintering process. When forming or coupling the cutting table to a substrate, a divider is positioned and coupled therebetween to ensure that the sintering process that forms the cutting table occurs using the solid phase sintering process or the near solid phase sintering process.

1 . A mixture for forming a cutting table, the mixture comprising:
 a cutting table powder; and   a binder material comprising at least one carbide formed from an element, the element selected from at least one of Groups IV, V, and VI.   
     
     
         2 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the carbide comprises a non-stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         3 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the carbide comprises a stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         4 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material further comprises the element used to form the carbide. 
     
     
         5 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material has an average particle size being in the submicron range. 
     
     
         6 . The mixture of  claim 5 , wherein the binder material has an average particle size being in the nanometer range. 
     
     
         7 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material further comprises diamond powder, and wherein the cutting table powder comprises diamond powder. 
     
     
         8 . The mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material further comprises a catalyst material. 
     
     
         9 . The mixture of  claim 8 , wherein the catalyst material comprises about ten percent by volume or less of the binder material. 
     
     
         10 . The mixture of  claim 8 , wherein the catalyst material comprises about one percent by volume or less of the binder material. 
     
     
         11 . A method for fabricating a cutting table, comprising:
 preparing a binder material, the binder material comprising at least one carbide formed from an element, the element selected from at least one of Groups IV, V, and VI;   mixing the binder material with a cutting table powder;   performing a sintering process on the cutting table powder and the binder material, wherein the sintering process causes the cutting table powder to form a lattice structure.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sintering process is a solid phase sintering process. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sintering process is a near solid phase sintering process, wherein a transient liquid phase is formed during the near solid phase sintering process. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transient liquid phase is present during about ten percent or less of the duration of the sintering process. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transient liquid phase is present during about six percent or less of the duration of the sintering process. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the transient liquid phase occupies about 0.1 percent of the volume of the combined cutting table powder and the binder material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the carbide comprises a non-stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the carbide comprises a stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the binder material further comprises the element used to form the carbide. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the binder material further comprises a catalyst material. 
     
     
         21 . A method for fabricating a cutter, comprising:
 forming a cutting table from a cutting table powder and a second binder material, the second binder material comprising at least one carbide formed from an element, the element selected from at least one of Groups IV, V, and VI;   forming a substrate from at least a substrate powder and a first binder material; and   bonding a divider to the cutting table and to the substrate, the divider being positioned between the cutting table and the substrate, the divider preventing the first binder material from migrating into the cutting table.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming the cutting table comprises sintering the cutting table powder and the second binder material using a solid phase sintering process. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming the cutting table comprises sintering the cutting table powder and the second binder material using a near solid phase sintering process, wherein a transient liquid phase is formed during the near solid phase sintering process. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the carbide comprises a non-stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the carbide comprises a stoichiometric carbide. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the binder material further comprises the element used to form the carbide. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the divider is formed using the same metals or alloys using the same metals as used within the second binder material.