Thermal etching of dislocations in zinc crystallites grown from the vapour

Small single crystals of zinc of 99.99% purity were grown from the vapour at a temperature slightly less than the melting point. The dislocation structure of these crystallites was studied by thermal etching, which occurs when the crystals are cooled from the growth temperature to 10 to 15°C below the melting point in a few minutes. Various types of etch figures were observed and the mechanisms of their formation are discussed. It seems, on the basis of the available evidence, that the etch figures correspond to dislocations.