Three-layer model for exchange anisotropy

Recent x-ray absorption measurements have indicated that the interface between the antiferromagnetic (AF) and the ferromagnetic (FM) layers in AF/FM bilayers instead of being abrupt, consists of a thin layer with uncompensated spins. Here the effect of an interfacial layer between the AF and FM layers on the ferromagnetic resonance response is investigated using a three-layer model for the exchange anisotropy. The calculated dependence of the resonance field with the azimuthal angle of the in-plane external field agrees quite well with experimental data in several samples, lending support to the existence of the uncompensated interfacial layer.