  We find that hexagonal structures forming in semiconductor resonators can
range from coherent patterns to arrangements of loosely bound spatial solitons,
which can be individually switched. Such incoherent arrangements are stabilized
by gradient forces, as evidenced by the stability of hexagonal structures with
single- or multiple-soliton defects. We interpret the experimental observations
by numerical simulations based on a model for a large aperture semiconductor
microresonator.
