High-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigation of a stacking fault in β-Si3N4

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of stacking faults on (0 0 1) and (1 0 1) planes in a β-Si3N4 whisker were obtained and compared to image simulations. This procedure showed that the atomic structure of the four atomic planes around the (0 0 1) stacking fault plane in the β-phase is very similar to that of the unit cell of α-Si3N4 crystal. The stacking fault was observed to climb under electron irradiation in the microscope.