Epitaxial lateral overgrowth was applied to a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire using SiO2 stripe masks oriented parallel to [0 (1) over bar11]. Coalescence and defect distribution was studied using scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence. Defects, i.e., threading dislocations and basal plane stacking faults from the template propagate into the overgrown layer through the mask openings. Stacking faults spread into the whole overgrown layer, whereas threading dislocations are laterally confined in the region above the mask where a part of them is terminated at the inclined coalescence boundary. Lateral overgrowth and dislocation termination at the coalescence boundary leads to an improvement in luminescence intensity and crystal quality, in comparison to the template. The measured XRD rocking curve FWHM were 453 '' with incidence along the [0001] c-direction and 280 '' with incidence along the [01 (1) over bar0] m-direction. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.