Defects in the sphalerite structure

Hornstra's method for drawing the arrangements of the atoms in the cores of dislocations in covalently bonded crystals is applied to the sphalerite structure. Bond rearrangement and dislocation dissociation into an extended form are considered and the implications are discussed. A crude calculation of bond strain energy indicates that Haasen's cracked core structure is unrealistic in germanium and in the sphalerite structure. Twinning and the electrical effects of dissociation and rearrangement are briefly discussed. © 1962.