Methods of forming chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization pad conditioner bodies made from diamond-reinforced reaction bonded silicon carbide, with diamond particles protruding or standing proud of the rest of the surface, and uniformly distributed on the cutting surface. In one embodiment, the diamond particles are approximately uniformly distributed throughout the composite, but in other embodiments they are preferentially located at and near the conditioning surface. The tops of the diamond particles can be engineered to be at a constant elevation (i.e., the conditioner body can be engineered to be very flat). Exemplary shapes of the body may be disc or toroidal. The diamond particles can be made to protrude from the conditioning surface by preferentially eroding the Si/SiC matrix. The eroding may be accomplished by electrical discharge machining or by lapping/polishing with abrasive.

A method of processing a superabrasive element includes defining a protective layer over a selected portion of a superabrasive element. The method includes exposing at least a portion of the superabrasive element to a leaching solution. A superabrasive element has a superabrasive table that includes a leached volume extending from the superabrasive face to a portion of the chamfer proximate to the superabrasive side surface.