Patent ID: 7836978

Claim:
A subterranean drilling tool, comprising: a body having a face at a leading end thereof and structure at a trailing end thereof for connecting to a drill string; a plurality of cutting elements disposed over the body, wherein at least some cutting elements of the plurality have a cylindrical shape and comprise: a cylindrical substrate having a cylindrical side surface; a diamond table disposed on and substantially coextensive with an end of the substrate along an interface, the diamond table having a frustoconical shape including a side wall tapering inwardly as the diamond table extends longitudinally away from the substrate, a diameter of the diamond table decreasing as the distance from the end of the substrate increases; and a superabrasive material selected from the group consisting of cubic boron nitride, cubic zirconia, and synthetic moissanite, the superabrasive material disposed over the diamond table, the superabrasive material and the substrate together encapsulating the diamond table, the superabrasive material having a cylindrical side surface continuous and coextensive with the cylindrical side surface of the cylindrical substrate, the cylindrical side surface of the superabrasive material extending to and intersecting a planar end surface of the superabrasive material such that the superabrasive material and the cylindrical substrate have substantially a common outer cylindrical shape.