In situ annealing effects on the iron-based ladder material BaFe_2S_3: A route to improve the crystal quality

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that in situ annealing improves the crystal quality of BaFe_2S_3, enhancing its structural, magnetic, and electrical properties, which aids in exploring its intrinsic characteristics.

Contribution

It is the first to systematically show how in situ annealing enhances crystal quality and intrinsic properties of BaFe_2S_3, a superconducting iron-based ladder material.

Findings

In situ annealing increases the antiferromagnetic transition temperature.

It reduces Fe deficiency and impurity levels in the crystals.

Crystal quality improvements facilitate intrinsic property investigations.

Abstract

We have grown single crystals of the iron-based ladder material BaFe_2S_3, which is superconductive under high pressure, adopting different conditions. By comparing the behaviors of these samples, it is found that the in situ annealing process can affect the crystal structure and the electrical transport, enhance the antiferromagnetic transition temperature, and reduce the extrinsic ferromagnetic component of the system. An in-depth analysis indicates that the crystal quality is improved by the in situ annealing in terms of reducing both the Fe deficiency and the Fe impurity in the samples. The improvement of the sample quality will facilitate the investigations on the intrinsic properties of this material.