Improvement of superconductivity in Fe1+yTe0.6Se0.4 induced by annealing with CaF2 and SmF3

We report detailed studies of the CaF2 and SmF3 annealing effects in Fe1+yTe0.6Se0.4 single crystals. Superconductivity in Fe1+yTe0.6Se0.4 single crystals was improved after annealing, which strongly suggested the effectiveness of the CaF2 and SmF3 annealing. In detail, no matter which annealing material was employed, the largest values of superconducting transition temperature and critical current density reached about 14 K and 1.0 × 105 A/cm2 (5 K, in self-field), respectively. Furthermore, compared with the pervious annealing materials, CaF2 and SmF3 are safe and easy-handing.