A mold for making abrasive particles is presented. The mold includes a surface and a plurality of cavities extending downward from the surface. Each cavity includes a particle shape portion comprising a polygonal shape and a fracture portion coupled to the particle shape portion. The fracture portion is configured to break from the particle shape portion during a stress event, resulting in a fractured shape abrasive particle.

Methods for forming a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bit from catalyst-free synthesized polycrystalline diamonds are described. The polycrystalline diamonds are deposited within a mold. In some cases, a matrix body material is deposited within the mold, and an infiltration process is performed to bond the polycrystalline diamonds to the matrix body material to form the PDC drill bit. In some cases, a drill bit body is formed within the mold, and forming the drill bit body within the mold includes depositing a layer of matrix body material particles within the mold, depositing an adhesive ink within the mold, and curing the adhesive ink. In some cases, a sintering process is performed after forming the drill bit body to remove at least a portion of the adhesive ink and increase a density of the drill bit body to form the PDC drill bit.

A method for forming an abrasive article via an additive manufacturing technique including forming a layer of powder material comprising a precursor bond material and abrasive particles, compacting at least a portion of the layer to form a compacted layer, binding at least a portion of the compacted layer and repeating the steps of forming, compacting and binding to form a green body abrasive article.

A method for forming an abrasive article via an additive manufacturing technique including forming a layer of powder material comprising a precursor bond material and abrasive particles, compacting at least a portion of the layer to form a compacted layer, binding at least a portion of the compacted layer, and repeating the steps of forming, compacting, and binding to form a green body abrasive article.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to overmolded protective leaching masks, and methods of manufacturing and using the same for leaching superabrasive elements such as polycrystalline diamond elements. In an embodiment, a protective leaching mask assembly includes a superabrasive element including a central axis and a superabrasive table, and a protective mask overmolded onto at least a portion of the superabrasive element. The protective mask includes a base portion and at least one sidewall extending from the base portion and defining an opening generally opposite the base portion. The at least one sidewall includes an inner surface configured to abut with a selected portion of the superabrasive element being chemically resistant to a leaching agent and an outer surface sloping at an oblique angle relative to the central axis.

A superhard polycrystalline construction comprises a body of polycrystalline superhard material comprising a superhard phase, and a non-superhard phase dispersed in the superhard phase, the superhard phase comprising a plurality of inter-bonded superhard grains. The non-superhard phase comprises particles or grains that do not chemically react with the superhard grains and form less than around 10 volume % of the body of polycrystalline superhard material. There is also disclosed a method of forming such a superhard polycrystalline construction.

A method for fabricating a polishing pad including a plurality of polishing structures includes providing a mold having a top surface and a bottom surface, the mold including a plurality of recesses that correspond to polishing structures formed on the top surface thereof; dispensing a polymer mix on the mold and allowing the polymer mix to fill the plurality of recesses to be formed as the polishing structures; laminating a base film on the top surface of the mold; curing the polymer mix to allow the polymer mix to adhere to the base film and to form the polishing structures on the base film; and demolding the base film and the polishing structures from the mold to obtain a polishing pad sheet. Subsequently, the polishing pad sheet is cut into a plurality of polishing pads.

The present invention provides a polishing pad for a wafer polishing apparatus, comprising: an upper pad having a front surface part, which has a cut surface and is in contact with a wafer, a rear surface part positioned on the lower part of the front surface part, and a plurality of grid grooves passing through the front surface part and the rear surface part; a lower pad, which is arranged on the lower part of the upper pad and can be attached to a surface plate; and an adhesion part positioned between the upper pad and the lower pad to couple the upper pad with the lower pad.

Embodiments relate to polycrystalline diamond compacts (“PDCs”) including a polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) table in which a metal-solvent catalyst is alloyed with at least one alloying element to improve thermal stability of the PCD table. In an embodiment, a PDC includes a substrate and a PCD table bonded to the substrate. The PCD table includes diamond grains defining interstitial regions. The PCD table includes an alloy comprising at least one Group VIII metal and at least one metallic alloying element that lowers a temperature at which melting of the at least one Group VIII metal begins. The alloy includes one or more solid solution phases comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element and one or more intermediate compounds comprising the at least one Group VIII metal and the at least one metallic alloying element.

The present invention provides methods of manufacturing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP polishing) layer for polishing substrates, such as semiconductor wafers comprising providing a composition of a plurality of liquid-filled microelements having a polymeric shell; classifying the composition via centrifugal air classification to remove fines and coarse particles and to produce liquid-filled microelements having a density of 800 to 1500 g/liter; and, forming the CMP polishing layer by (i) converting the classified liquid-filled microelements into gas-filled microelements by heating them, then mixing them with a liquid polymer matrix forming material and casting or molding the resulting mixture to form a polymeric pad matrix, or (ii) combining the classified liquid-filled microelements directly with the liquid polymer matrix forming material, and casting or molding.