A cutting tool rotates about a rotation axis, and includes a tip end portion. The tip end portion includes a partially spherical surface that is brought into contact with a workpiece. The surface is provided with a plurality of recesses disposed apart from each other. An opening edge of each of the plurality of recesses constitutes a cutting edge.

A method of making a polycrystalline diamond compact includes forming a first layer of polycrystalline diamond precursor materials comprising diamond particles and a first concentration of catalyst, forming a second layer of polycrystalline diamond precursor materials comprising diamond particles and a second concentration of catalyst, and placing a layer of an infiltrant material in the proximity of the first or the second layer of polycrystalline diamond precursor materials. The second concentration of catalyst is greater than the first concentration of catalyst. The infiltrant material is a catalyst. The first layer and the second layer are sintered under high-pressure high-temperature conditions in the presence of the infiltrant material to form the polycrystalline diamond compact. At least a portion of the catalyst is leached from the polycrystalline diamond compact.

A composite polycrystal contains polycrystalline diamond formed of diamond grains that are directly bonded mutually, and non-diamond carbon dispersed in the polycrystalline diamond, and has a concentration of contained hydrogen of greater than 1000 ppm and less than or equal to 20000 ppm.

A composite polycrystal contains polycrystalline diamond formed of diamond grains that are directly bonded mutually, and non-diamond carbon dispersed in the polycrystalline diamond, and has a concentration of contained hydrogen of greater than 1000 ppm and less than or equal to 20000 ppm.

A cutting tool for cutting a hard brittle material is formed from a light-transmittable material through which laser light can pass and is provided with a rake angle, the laser light is propagated through the cutting tool, the cutting tool and the hard brittle material are brought into contact with each other, the laser light is incident to at least a contact part where the cutting tool and the hard brittle material are in contact with each other and a part with the rake angle, the laser light except for Fresnel reflection light on an end surface of the cutting tool is incident to the hard brittle material through the contact part and the rake angle part to soften the hard brittle material, and the softened hard brittle material is cut.

A cutting tool for cutting a hard brittle material is formed from a light-transmittable material through which laser light can pass and is provided with a rake angle, the laser light is propagated through the cutting tool, the cutting tool and the hard brittle material are brought into contact with each other, the laser light is incident to at least a contact part where the cutting tool and the hard brittle material are in contact with each other and a part with the rake angle, the laser light except for Fresnel reflection light on an end surface of the cutting tool is incident to the hard brittle material through the contact part and the rake angle part to soften the hard brittle material, and the softened hard brittle material is cut.

Provided is polycrystalline diamond having a diamond single phase as basic composition, in which the polycrystalline diamond includes a plurality of crystal grains and contains boron, at least either of nitrogen and silicon, and a remainder including carbon and trace impurities; the boron is dispersed in the crystal grains at an atomic level, and greater than or equal to 90 atomic % of the boron is present in an isolated substitutional type; the nitrogen and the silicon are present in an isolated substitutional type or an interstitial type in the crystal grains; each of the crystal grains has a grain size of less than or equal to 500 nm; and the polycrystalline diamond has a surface covered with a protective film.

A cubic boron nitride sintered body has between 50% and 75% cubic boron nitride by volume and between 25% and 50% binder phase by volume, and inevitable impurities. The binder phase contains an Al compound and a Zr compound. The Al compound contains Al and one or more of N, O and B; and the Zr compound contains Zr and one or more of C, N, O and B. At a polished surface of the cubic boron nitride sintered body, 40% or more of the Zr compounds satisfy the ratio 0.25≦n/N≦0.8, where: N represents the number of line segments drawn radially at equal intervals from a center of gravity of a given Zr compound to a boundary with a non-Zr compound; and n represents the number among those N line segments which intersect a boundary between the given Zr compound and cubic boron nitride.

A sintered body of the present invention is a sintered body including a first material and cubic boron nitride. The first material is partially-stabilized ZrO.sub.2 including 5 to 90 volume % of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 dispersed in crystal grain boundaries or crystal grains of partially-stabilized ZrO.sub.2.

In a diamond polycrystal, a value of a ratio (d′/d) of d′ to d is less than or equal to 0.98 in a Vickers hardness test performed under a condition defined in JIS Z 2244:2009, where the d represents a length of a diagonal line of a first Vickers indentation formed in a surface of the diamond polycrystal when a Vickers indenter with a test load of 4.9 N is pressed onto the surface of the diamond polycrystal, and the d′ represents a length of a diagonal line of a second Vickers indentation remaining in the surface of the diamond polycrystal after releasing the test load.