In various embodiments, controlled heating and/or cooling conditions are utilized during the fabrication of aluminum nitride single crystals and aluminum nitride bulk polycrystalline ceramics. Thermal treatments may also be utilized to control properties of aluminum nitride crystals after fabrication.

In an embodiment, a method includes liberating feed atoms and forming at least one nanotube from the liberated feed atoms. Feed atoms disposed over a front side of a substrate are liberated in response to electromagnetic radiation that propagates from the back side of the substrate, through the substrate, to the front side of the substrate. And, from the liberated feed atoms, at least one nanotube is formed over the front side of the substrate in response to at least one catalyst separate from the substrate and disposed over the front side of the substrate and over the feed atoms.

In an embodiment, a method includes liberating feed atoms and forming at least one nanotube from the liberated feed atoms. Feed atoms disposed over a front side of a substrate are liberated in response to electromagnetic radiation that propagates from the back side of the substrate, through the substrate, to the front side of the substrate. And, from the liberated feed atoms, at least one nanotube is formed over the front side of the substrate in response to at least one catalyst separate from the substrate and disposed over the front side of the substrate and over the feed atoms.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a surface-modified inorganic nitride having excellent dispersibility. Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a composition, a thermally conductive material, and a device with a thermally conductive layer which contain the surface-modified inorganic nitride.

The surface-modified inorganic nitride of the present invention includes an inorganic nitride, and a compound which is represented by General Formula (I) and is adsorbed onto a surface of the inorganic nitride.

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In General Formula (1), n represents an integer of 3 or greater. X represents an aromatic hydrocarbon ring group or an aromatic heterocyclic group. Y represents a single bond, O, CO, COO, OCO, S, CS, NR.sup.A, NN, or a divalent unsaturated hydrocarbon group. R.sup.A represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group. R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a substituent. Here, at least one of R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 represents a monovalent organic group containing a specific functional group selected from the group A of specific functional groups.

In General Formula (1), a plurality of X's may be the same as or different from each other. Moreover, a plurality of Y's may be the same as or different from each other.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a surface-modified inorganic nitride having excellent dispersibility. Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a composition, a thermally conductive material, and a device with a thermally conductive layer which contain the surface-modified inorganic nitride.

The surface-modified inorganic nitride of the present invention includes an inorganic nitride, and a compound which is represented by General Formula (I) and is adsorbed onto a surface of the inorganic nitride.

##STR00001##

In General Formula (1), n represents an integer of 3 or greater. X represents an aromatic hydrocarbon ring group or an aromatic heterocyclic group. Y represents a single bond, O, CO, COO, OCO, S, CS, NR.sup.A, NN, or a divalent unsaturated hydrocarbon group. R.sup.A represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group. R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a substituent. Here, at least one of R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 represents a monovalent organic group containing a specific functional group selected from the group A of specific functional groups.

In General Formula (1), a plurality of X's may be the same as or different from each other. Moreover, a plurality of Y's may be the same as or different from each other.

To provide an aluminum nitride-based powder that includes less amount of fine powder that is hard to be completely removed, has superior filling performance for a polymeric material, and also has thermal conductivity. The present invention relates to an aluminum nitride-based powder comprising aluminum nitride-based particles, wherein (1) the average particle size D50 is 15 to 200 m; (2) a content of particles having a particle size of at most 5 m is at most 60% on a particle number basis; (3) a content of an alkaline earth metal element and a rare-earth element is at most 0.1 weight %; (4) a content of oxygen is at most 0.5 weight %; and (5) a content of silicon is at most 1000 ppm by weight, and a content of iron is at most 1000 ppm by weight.

To provide an aluminum nitride-based powder that includes less amount of fine powder that is hard to be completely removed, has superior filling performance for a polymeric material, and also has thermal conductivity. The present invention relates to an aluminum nitride-based powder comprising aluminum nitride-based particles, wherein (1) the average particle size D50 is 15 to 200 m; (2) a content of particles having a particle size of at most 5 m is at most 60% on a particle number basis; (3) a content of an alkaline earth metal element and a rare-earth element is at most 0.1 weight %; (4) a content of oxygen is at most 0.5 weight %; and (5) a content of silicon is at most 1000 ppm by weight, and a content of iron is at most 1000 ppm by weight.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a surface-modified inorganic nitride having excellent dispersibility. Furthermore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a composition, a thermally conductive material, and a device with a thermally conductive layer which contain the surface-modified inorganic nitride.

The surface-modified inorganic nitride of the present invention includes an inorganic nitride, and a specific compound adsorbed onto a surface of the inorganic nitride, and

the specific compound has a functional group selected from the group consisting of a boronic acid group, an aldehyde group, an isocyanate group, an isothiocyanate group, a cyanate group, an acyl azide group, a succinimide group, a sulfonyl chloride group, a carboxylic acid chloride group, an onium group, a carbonate group, an aryl halide group, a carbodiimide group, an acid anhydride group, a carboxylic acid group, a phosphonic acid group, a phosphinic acid group, a phosphoric acid group, a phosphoric acid ester group, a sulfonic acid group, a halogenated alkyl group, a nitrile group, a nitro group, an ester group, a carbonyl group, an imidoester group, an alkoxysilyl group, an acrylic group, a methacrylic group, an oxetanyl group, a vinyl group, an alkynyl group, a maleimide group, a thiol group, a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom, and an amino group, and has a fused-ring structure containing two or more rings selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring and an aromatic heterocyclic ring.

An object of the present invention is to provide a surface-modified inorganic nitride having excellent dispersibility. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a composition, a thermally conductive material, and a device with a thermally conductive layer which contain the surface-modified inorganic nitride.

The surface-modified inorganic nitride of the present invention includes an inorganic nitride, and a compound which is represented by General Formula (I) and is adsorbed onto a surface of the inorganic nitride.

##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a surface-modified inorganic nitride having excellent dispersibility. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a composition, a thermally conductive material, and a device with a thermally conductive layer which contain the surface-modified inorganic nitride.

The surface-modified inorganic nitride of the present invention includes an inorganic nitride, and a compound which is represented by General Formula (I) and is adsorbed onto a surface of the inorganic nitride.

##STR00001##