Thin ZnSe films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Zn exposed (2×4) As‐stabilized surfaces of GaAs epilayers under varied beam flux ratios. A very low density of faulted defects in the range of ∼ 104/cm2was generated in samples grown under a condition with a mixture of both (2×1) and weakc(2×2) surface reconstructions at the initial stages of growth. However, an asymmetric distribution on the densities of extrinsic cation‐ and anion‐terminated Shockley‐type stacking faults were generated, respectively, in samples grown under Zn‐ and Se‐rich surface stoichiometries. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.