Abstract: A PCD insert comprises a PCD element joined to a cemented carbide substrate at an interface. The PCD element has internal diamond surfaces defining interstices between them. The PCD element comprises a masked or passivated region and an unmasked or unpassivated region, the unmasked or unpassivated region defining a boundary with the substrate, the boundary being the interface. At least some of the internal diamond surfaces of the masked or passivated region contact a mask or passivation medium, and some or all of the interstices of the masked or passivated region and of the unmasked or unpassivated region are at least partially filled with an infiltrant material.

Abstract: Bearings for downhole tools including a first bearing member and a second bearing member, at least one of the first and second bearing members having a channel formed therein. Methods of cooling bearings of downhole tools comprise flowing a fluid within a channel formed in at least one bearing member. Heat is transferred from at least the at least one bearing member to the fluid. The fluid is flowed away from the at least one bearing member.

Abstract: A single crystal CVD synthetic diamond material comprising: a total as-grown nitrogen concentration equal to or greater than 5 ppm, and a uniform distribution of defects, wherein said uniform distribution of defects is defined by one or more of the following characteristics: (i) the total nitrogen concentration, when mapped by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) over an area equal to or greater than 50×50 ?m using an analysis area of 10 ?m or less, possesses a point-to-point variation of less than 30% of an average total nitrogen concentration value, or when mapped by SIMS over an area equal to or greater than 200×200 ?m using an analysis area of 60 ?m or less, possesses a point-to-point variation of less than 30% of an average total nitrogen concentration value; (ii) an as-grown nitrogen-vacancy defect (NV) concentration equal to or greater than 50 ppb as measured using 77K UV-visible absorption measurements, wherein the nitrogen-vacancy defects are uniformly distributed through the synthetic single cryst

Abstract: A synthetic single crystal diamond material comprising: a first region comprising electron donor defects; a second region comprising quantum spin defects; and a third region between the first and second regions. The second and third regions have a lower concentration of electron donor defects than the first region. The first and second regions are sufficiently close to allow electrons to be donated from the first region to the second region, thus forming negatively charged quantum spin defects in the second and positively charged defects in the first region, and sufficiently far apart to reduce other coupling interactions between the first and second regions which would otherwise unduly reduce the decoherence time of the plurality of quantum spin defects and/or produce strain broaden of a spectral line width of the plurality of quantum spin defects in the second region.

Abstract: A containment element for a pressure containment assembly, comprising mullite or a polymorph of mullite.

Abstract: Cutting elements for earth-boring tools include one or more recesses and/or one or more protrusions in a cutting face of a volume of superabrasive material. The superabrasive material may be disposed on a substrate. The cutting face may be non-planar. The recesses and/or protrusions may include one or more linear segments. The recesses and/or protrusions may comprise discrete features that are laterally isolated from one another. The recesses and/or protrusions may have a helical configuration. The volume of superabrasive material may comprise a plurality of thin layers, at least two of which may differ in at least one characteristic. Methods of forming cutting elements include the formation of such recesses and/or protrusions in and/or on a cutting face of a volume of superabrasive material. Earth-boring tools include such cutting elements, and methods of forming earth-boring tools include attaching such a cutting element to a tool body.

Abstract: A superhard cutter element for machining a workpiece comprising wood, metal, ceramic material or composite material, the superhard cutter comprising a superhard structure (140) having a rake side (110) and a flank side (120), the rake side (110) and the flank side (120) enclosing a wedge angle ?; and a protective layer (170) bonded to the superhard structure (140) at a rake interface (180) on the rake side (110), the protective layer (170) being softer than the material of the superhard structure (140).

Abstract: An earth-boring drilling tool comprises a cutting element. The cutting element comprises a substrate, a diamond table, and at least one sensing element formed from a doped diamond material disposed at least partially within the diamond table. A method for determining an at-bit measurement for an earth-boring drill bit comprises receiving an electrical signal generated within a doped diamond material disposed within a diamond table of a cutting element of the earth-boring drill bit, and correlating the electrical signal with at least one parameter during a drilling operation.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical element, the method comprising: growing a first layer of single crystal diamond material via a chemical vapor deposition technique using a gas phase having a first nitrogen concentration; growing a second layer of single crystal diamond material over said first layer via a chemical vapor deposition technique using a gas phase having a second nitrogen concentration, wherein the second nitrogen concentration is lower than the first nitrogen concentration; forming an optical element from at least a portion of the second layer of single crystal diamond material; and forming an out-coupling structure at a surface of the optical element for increasing out-coupling of light.

Abstract: A polycrystalline super hard construction comprising a body of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) material and a plurality of interstitial regions between inter-bonded diamond grains forming the polycrystalline diamond material; the body of PCD material comprises a working surface positioned along an outside portion of the body; a first region substantially free of a solvent/catalysing material; and a second region remote from the working surface that includes solvent/catalysing material in a plurality of the interstitial regions. The first region extends to a depth of at least about 400 microns from the working surface into the body of polycrystalline diamond material.

Abstract: A method of making a cutter structure comprising super-hard material defining a rake face topology is provided.

Abstract: Polycrystalline diamond compacts for cutting tools and rock drilling tools, and more particularly to very fine polycrystalline diamond compacts with a grain growth inhibitor layer and reduced abnormal grain growth. A method of fabricating such polycrystalline diamond material includes placing a powder layer of nano-sized grain growth inhibitor particles next to a mixture of diamond particles having an average particle size of about 1 micron or less and sintering at high pressure and high temperature to create a polycrystalline structure of sintered diamond grains. The sintered diamond grains have an average size of about 1 micron or less.

Abstract: A method for making a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) construction comprises providing a cemented carbide substrate comprising carbide grains cemented together by a cement material, subjecting the substrate to a first pressure treatment, treating the substrate to remove at least some of the cement material from at least a region of the substrate adjacent a boundary defined by the substrate, and subjecting the substrate to a second pressure treatment, in contact with or bonded at the boundary to a diamondiferous structure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a diamond surface including the steps of providing an original diamond surface, subjecting the original diamond surface to plasma etching to remove at least 2 nm of material from the original surface and produce a plasma etched surface, the roughness Rq of the plasma etched surface at the location of the etched surface where the greatest depth of material has been removed satisfying at least one of the following conditions: Rq of the plasma etched surface is less than 1.5 times the roughness of Rq of the original surface, or Rq of the plasma etched surface is less than 1 nm.