ABSTRACTSingle crystal cubic or hexagonal GaN thin films have been grown on various substrates, using a modified gas source MBE technique. A standard effusion cell was employed for the evaporation of gallium. A compact electron cyclotron resonance plasma source was used to activate the nitrogen prior to deposition. The films were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The major defects in the wurtzite GaN were double positioning boundaries, inversion domain boundaries, and dislocations. The zinc-blende GaN showed microtwins, stacking faults, and dislocations. The connection between the observed structural defects and the poor electrical properties of GaN is noted.