A transmission electron microscopic study was made of triple-ribbon contrast features in a ZnTe layer which had been grown epitaxially onto a vicinal GaAs (001) substrate. The ribbons went through the layer as threading dislocations near to the [¯1¯12](111) or [112](¯1¯11) directions. Each of these (with a 40nm width) had 2 narrow parts which were enclosed by 3 partial dislocations (with a 20nm spacing). Contrast analysis and simulation showed that the ribbons were composed of 2 partially-overlapping stacking faults. Their generation was attributed to a forced reaction between 2 crossing perfect misfit dislocations.

P.D.Han: Philosophical Magazine Letters, 1998, 78[3], 203-11