Polycrystalline diamond cutting elements with modified catalyst depleted portions and methods of making the same

A polycrystalline diamond compact comprising:

• a substrate;
• and
• an axially symmetric polycrystalline diamond body attached to the substrate along an interface, the polycrystalline diamond body comprising a generally planar working surface and a frustoconical side surface that extends away from the working surface and intersects with a generally cylindrical surface and that extends along at least 50% of a thickness of the polycrystalline diamond body such that the polycrystalline diamond body has a smaller diameter at the working surface than at the interface.

A method of making a polycrystalline diamond cutting element comprising:

• removing inter-bonded diamond grains along an outer surface of a polycrystalline diamond compact to form a frustoconical surface that extends away from a generally planar working surface and intersects with a generally cylindrical surface such that the polycrystalline diamond body has a smaller diameter at the working surface than at the interface;
• introducing the polycrystalline diamond compact to a leaching process in which catalyst material that is positioned within interstitial regions between the inter-bonded diamond grains is removed from the polycrystalline diamond compact, wherein the working surface and the frustoconical surface are maintained in intimate contact with a leaching agent;
• removing inter-bonded diamond grains along the outer surface of the polycrystalline diamond compact to form a polycrystalline diamond cutting element having a peripheral surface.