Electron Microscopic Study of Twins, Anti‐Phase Boundaries, and Dislocations in Thin Films of Rutile

Anti‐phase boundaries and dislocation ribbons are studied by means of transmission electron microscopy. From the fringe patterns observed at anti‐phase boundaries, and from the diffraction pattern, a model for anti‐phase boundaries may be proposed. It is found that the width of the ribbons changes on crossing certain anti‐phase boundaries. The model for the anti‐phase boundary deduced from the contrast effects allows this behaviour to be explained in a consistent way, because the model implies that the stacking fault energy is different in both domains for a ribbon extending both sides of a domain boundary. The difference in stacking fault energy causes a difference in ribbon width, and as a result also causes a difference in total energy per unit length of the ribbon. This difference in energy causes in turn a „refraction ” of ribbons at anti‐phase boundaries.