Interface spins in polycrystalline FeMn/Fe bilayers with small exchange bias

Abstract The magnetic moments at the interface between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers play a central role in exchange biased systems, but their behavior is still not completely understood. In this work, the FeMn/Fe interface in polycrystalline thin films has been studied using conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (CEMS), magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) and micromagnetic simulations. Samples were prepared with 57 Fe layers at two distinct depths in order to probe the interface and bulk behaviors. At the equilibrium, the interface moments are randomly oriented while the bulk of the Fe layer has an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. Several models for the interface and anisotropies of the layers were used in the simulations of spin configurations and hysteresis loops. From the whole set of simulations, one can conclude the direct analysis of hysteresis curves is not enough to infer whether the interface has a configuration with spins tilted out of the film plane at equilibrium since different choices of parameters provide similar curves. The simulations have also shown the occurrence of spin clusters at the interface is compatible with CEMS and MOKE measurements.