A 1/2[0001](0001) stacking fault and a planar
60° rotational domain boundary on the (0001) plane in as-grown
CVD α-Si3N4 crystals have been
characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy and image
simulation. As reported previously, two types of coherent
boundaries have been observed in this material, namely, stacking
faults and rotational domain boundaries. The former involves
only a translational displacement, while the latter separates
two grains by a 60° rotation in addition to a translation.
Inasmuch as the difference resulting from the rotational component
can hardly be detected by high-resolution electron microscopy,
care must be taken to analyze them first by analytical electron
microscopy. In this paper, these two types of boundaries are
studied and structural models are constructed that give simulated
images in satisfactory agreement with observed images.