Method to calculate performance of a magnetic element comprising a ferromagnetic layer exchange-coupled to an antiferromagnetic layer

Method to calculate performance of a magnetic element comprising a reference bilayer including a ferromagnetic reference layer having a reference magnetization and an antiferromagnetic layer pining the reference magnetization by exchange-bias, the antiferromagnetic layer comprising a metallic polycrystalline material having a grain volume distribution;

• the method comprising:
• measuring an exchange-bias field of the antiferromagnetic layer at selected exposure temperatures, under selected in-plane exposure magnetic fields applied to the reference bilayer, during an exposure time;
• fitting a grain volume distribution function to the measured exchange-bias fields to determine at least one distribution parameter characterizing the volume distribution of the grains and at least one magnetic parameter characterizing magnetic properties of the antiferromagnetic layer;
• calculating a reference angle corresponding to an in-plane variation in a direction of the reference magnetization, as a function of a direction of the in-plane magnetic field;
• calculating the exchange bias field for any value of the in-plane exposure magnetic field, exposure temperature and exposure time, using the calculated reference angle and determined said at least one distribution and magnetic parameters in the grain volume distribution function.