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 nonstoichiometric 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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for fabricating a cutter, comprising:
 preparing a binder material, the binder material comprising a metal carbide formed from a single metal,   wherein:
 the single metal is selected from Groups IV, V, and VI, at least one of:
 the metal carbide is non-stoichiometric, and 
 the metal carbide is stoichiometric and the binder material further comprises a free portion of the single metal, 
 
   mixing the binder material with a diamond powder;   performing a sintering process on the diamond powder and the binder material, wherein the sintering process causes the diamond powder to form a polycrystalline diamond structure having modified binder material deposited within interstitial spaces thereof,   wherein:
 the metal carbide of the modified binder material is stoichiometric, and 
 the modified binder material is void of the free portion of the metal. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sintering process is a solid phase sintering process. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sintering process is a near solid phase sintering process,   a transient liquid phase is formed during the near solid phase sintering process, and   the transient liquid phase is present during ten percent or less of the duration of the sintering process.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the transient liquid phase is present during six percent or less of the duration of the sintering process. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal carbide of the binder material is non-stoichiometric. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material comprises the stoichiometric carbide and the free portion of the single metal. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material further comprises a catalyst material selected from a group consisting of cobalt, nickel, and iron. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the binder material comprises ten percent by volume or less of the catalyst material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the binder material comprises one percent by volume or less of the catalyst material. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein a composition of the catalyst material in the polycrystalline diamond structure is non-eutectic. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 forming a substrate from at least a substrate powder and a second binder material; and   bonding a divider to the polycrystalline diamond structure and to the substrate, the divider being positioned therebetween, the divider preventing the second binder material from migrating into the polycrystalline diamond structure.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the divider is formed using the single metal. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 positioning a metal divider atop a substrate layer; and   positioning the mixture atop the metal divider,   wherein the sintering process is also performed on the substrate layer and the divider.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the substrate layer comprises tungsten carbide powder and a second binder material,   the second binder material is selected from a group consisting of cobalt, nickel chrome, and iron, and   the divider prevents the second binder material from migrating into the polycrystalline diamond structure.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mixture is homogenous. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the binder material further comprises diamond powder. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a constant temperature is maintained during the sintering process. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the constant temperature is greater than a eutectic melting temperature of the metal carbide. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the constant temperature is less than a eutectic melting temperature of the metal carbide.