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.

Provided is a spherical aluminum nitride powder having a particle shape that is closer to sphericity. The spherical aluminum nitride powder according to the present invention, which contains a main component comprising AlN and a side component comprising a rare earth compound, is characterized in that at least 70% of particles in the powder have an outer peripheral shape having neither an angular edge part nor an uneven part in the plane projection image of individual particles.

Provided is a spherical aluminum nitride powder having a particle shape that is closer to sphericity. The spherical aluminum nitride powder according to the present invention, which contains a main component comprising AlN and a side component comprising a rare earth compound, is characterized in that at least 70% of particles in the powder have an outer peripheral shape having neither an angular edge part nor an uneven part in the plane projection image of individual particles.

An aluminum nitride particle including at least a first truncated six-sided pyramid (1-a) and a second truncated six-sided pyramid (1-b), the aluminum nitride particle having a shape such that a lower base (3) of the first truncated six-sided pyramid (1-a) and a lower base (3) of the second truncated six-sided pyramid (1-b) face each other, the first truncated six-sided pyramid (1-a) and the second truncated six-sided pyramid (1-b) each having an upper base (2) with an area Si of not less than 60 μm.sup.2 and not more than 4800 μm.sup.2, and each having a ratio (S1/S2) of the area Si to an area S2 of the lower base (3) being not less than 0.5 and less than 1, the first truncated six-sided pyramid (1-a) and the second truncated six-sided pyramid (1-b) respectively having a height h1 and a height h2 each being not less than 5 μm and not more than 20 μm.

An aluminum nitride particle including: a plurality of planes randomly arranged in a surface of the particle, the plurality of planes forming an obtuse ridge part or an obtuse valley part in the surface of the particle, the plurality of planes being observable in a scanning electron micrograph with 500 times magnification; wherein the particle has a longer diameter L of 20 to 200 μm; a ratio L/D of the longer diameter L (unit: μm) to a shorter diameter D (unit: μm) of the particle is 1 to 1.25; and the plurality of planes comprise a first plane, wherein an area S (unit: μm.sup.2) of the first plane satisfies S/L≥1.0 μm.

An aluminum nitride particle including: a plurality of planes randomly arranged in a surface of the particle, the plurality of planes forming an obtuse ridge part or an obtuse valley part in the surface of the particle, the plurality of planes being observable in a scanning electron micrograph with 500 times magnification; wherein the particle has a longer diameter L of 20 to 200 μm; a ratio L/D of the longer diameter L (unit: μm) to a shorter diameter D (unit: μm) of the particle is 1 to 1.25; and the plurality of planes comprise a first plane, wherein an area S (unit: μm.sup.2) of the first plane satisfies S/L≥1.0 μm.

An insulating filler composed of a mixed powder in which a hydrophobic fumed oxide powder having an average primary particle size D.sub.1, which is smaller than an average primary particle size D.sub.2, is adhered to the surface of a magnesium oxide powder and/or a nitride-based inorganic powder having the average primary particle size D.sub.2, wherein: the ratio D.sub.1/D.sub.2 of the average primary particle size D.sub.1 to the average primary particle size D.sub.2 is 6×10.sup.−5 to 3×10.sup.−3; the volume resistivity of the mixed powder is 1×10.sup.11 Ω.Math.m or more; and the content ratio of the hydrophobic fumed oxide powder in the mixed powder is 5-30 mass %. Also provided is an insulating material in which the above-mentioned insulating filler is contained in a resin molded body.

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 method of manufacturing silicon nano-powders and a manufacturing equipment implementing such method. The method according to the invention utilizes a plurality of aluminum powders to react with a silicon tetrahalide into a plurality of silicon nano-powders and an aluminum trihalide to obtain the silicon nano-powders.