Superhard cutters and associated methods

Abstract

A cutting device comprises a base having a working side that is oriented to face a workpiece from which material is to be removed. A plurality of individual cutting elements are arranged on the working side of the base, with each cutting element having a peak that comprises at least one cutting edge that is formed from a polycrystalline superhard material. The peaks of the cutting elements are aligned in a common plane.

1 . A cutting device, comprising: 
 a base having a working side that can be oriented to face a workpiece from which material is to be removed; and    a plurality of individual cutting elements arranged on the working side of the base, each cutting element having a peak that comprises at least one cutting edge that is formed from a polycrystalline superhard material, the peaks of the cutting elements being aligned in a common plane.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the base and each of the cutting elements are formed from an integral piece of polycrystalline superhard material.  
   
   
       3 . A cutting device, comprising: 
 a base having a working side that can be oriented to face a workpiece from which material is to be removed, the base being formed from an integral piece of a polycrystalline superhard material; and    a plurality of individual cutting elements integrally formed with the working side of the base, each cutting element having a peak that comprises at least a tip, the peaks of the cutting elements being aligned in a common plane.    
   
   
       4 . The device of either of  claim 2  or  claim 3 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material comprises a polycrystalline diamond compact.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 50 μm or smaller.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 1 μm to about 10 μm.  
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond content of about 80% to about 98% by volume.  
   
   
       8 . The device of either of  claim 2  or  claim 3 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material comprises a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting device comprises a planing device.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the cutting device comprises a dressing device.  
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a series of secondary cutting elements formed on a face of each of the cutting elements, the secondary cutting elements being configured to maintain a sharpness of each of the cutting edges during use of the cutting device.  
   
   
       12 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , wherein the peaks of the cutting element are operable to cut a substantially brittle material.  
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the brittle material is a member selected from the group consisting of: a metal, a silicon wafer, a used silicon wafer to be reclaimed by planarization, LCD glass, an LED substrate, a SiC wafer, a quartz wafer, silicon nitride, zirconia, sapphire, lithium niobate, lithium titantate, PZT, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium nitride, boron phosphate, aluminum nitride and boron nitride.  
   
   
       14 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , wherein the peak of each of the cutting elements includes a plurality of cutting edges aligned in the common plane.  
   
   
       15 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , wherein the peak of each of the cutting elements includes a shape selected from the group consisting of: a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a hexagon, a circle and an oval.  
   
   
       16 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , further comprising a series of secondary cutting elements having at least a tip aligned in a second common plane, the second common plane being disposed closer to an opposing side of the base than is the common plane, the secondary cutting elements being configured to limit a depth to which the cutting elements can cut into the workpiece.  
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the secondary cutting elements terminate in a planar face.  
   
   
       18 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled relative to the common plane within about 0.5 μm to about 50 μm.  
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled relative to the common plane within about 25 μm.  
   
   
       20 . The device of either of  claim 1  or  claim 3 , wherein the common plane is pitched from about 200 μm to about 2000 μm across the working side of the cutting device.  
   
   
       21 . A method of forming the cutting device as recited in either  claim 2  or  claim 3 , comprising the step of: 
 providing a polycrystalline superhard material compact; and    removing material from a working side of a base of the polycrystalline superhard material compact to form the plurality of individual cutting elements from the polycrystalline superhard material compact.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material compact comprises a polycrystalline diamond compact.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 50 μm or smaller.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 1 μm to about 10 μm.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond content of about 80% to about 98% by volume.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material compact comprises a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising forming a series of secondary cutting elements on an upper surface of each of the cutting elements, the secondary cutting elements being configured to maintain a sharpness of each of the cutting elements during use of the cutting device.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein cutting edges of the cutting elements are operable to cut a substantially brittle material.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the brittle material is a member selected from the group consisting of: a metal, a silicon wafer, a used silicon wafer to be reclaimed by planarization, LCD glass, an LED substrate, a SiC wafer, a quartz wafer, silicon nitride, zirconia, sapphire, lithium niobate, lithium titantate, PZT, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium nitride, boron phosphate, aluminum nitride and boron nitride.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming the cutting elements includes aligning a plurality of cutting edges of each cutting element in the common plane.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the peak of each of the cutting elements includes a shape selected from the group consisting of: a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a circle and an oval.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein removing material from the working side of the base includes removing material by a process selected from the group consisting of: laser ablation, electro-chemical machining, plasma etching, oxidation and hydrogenation.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein removing material from the working side of the base includes removing material by electrical discharge machining.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the electrical discharge machining process utilizes an electrode that includes diamond.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the electrode is an anode that includes boron doped diamond.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the boron doped diamond anode includes a series of shaped protrusions extending therefrom, the shaped protrusions being configured to remove material from the face of the compact in a grooved pattern.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the electrode is a cathode that includes boron doped diamond.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the boron doped diamond cathode includes a series of shaped protrusions extending therefrom, the shaped protrusions being configured to remove material from the face of the compact in a grooved pattern.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein removing material from the face of the compact further comprises forming a series of secondary cutting elements having at least a tip aligned in a second common plane, the second common plane being disposed closer to an opposing side of the compact than is the common plane, the secondary cutting elements being configured to limit a depth to which the cutting elements can cut into the workpiece.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein each of the secondary cutting elements terminates in a planar face.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled relative to the common plane within about 0.5 μm to about 50 μm.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled relative to the common plane within about 25 μm.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the common plane is pitched from about 200 μm to about 2000 μm across the face of the cutting device.  
   
   
       44 . A product formed by a process comprising: 
 engaging a surface of a workpiece with a plurality of individual cutting elements of a cutting device, the individual cutting elements being integrally formed from a working side of an integral piece of a polycrystalline superhard material and each cutting element having a peak that is aligned in a common plane; and    moving the workpiece and the cutting device relative to one another to thereby remove material from the workpiece with the cutting elements.    
   
   
       45 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material comprises a polycrystalline diamond compact.  
   
   
       46 . The product of  claim 45 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 50 μm or smaller.  
   
   
       47 . The product of  claim 46 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond grain size of about 1 μm to about 10 μm.  
   
   
       48 . The product of  claim 45 , wherein the polycrystalline diamond compact has a diamond content of about 80% to about 98% by volume.  
   
   
       49 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein the polycrystalline superhard material comprises a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact.  
   
   
       50 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein each of the plurality of cutting elements includes a cutting edge aligned in the common plane.  
   
   
       51 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein the process further comprises engaging the surface of the workpiece with a series of secondary cutting elements having at least a tip aligned in a second common plane, the second common plane being disposed closer to an opposing side of the polycrystalline superhard material than is the common plane, to thereby limit a depth to which the cutting elements cut into the workpiece.  
   
   
       52 . The product of  claim 51 , wherein the secondary cutting elements terminate in a planar face.  
   
   
       53 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled relative to the common plane within about 0.5 μm to about 50 μm.  
   
   
       54 . The product of  claim 44 , wherein the peaks of the cutting elements are leveled within about 15 μm.