The influence of a half-free ferromagnetic underlayer on the static and microwave magnetic properties in [NiFe/IrMn](n) exchange bias multilayer thin film system has been systematically investigated. By changing the thickness of the half-free ferromagnetic underlayer, the linewidth of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in this system can be tuned from 0.9 to 2.4 GHz. Theoretical fitting of the FMR frequencies based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation is also carried out to quantitatively identify the effective anisotropy fields and Gilbert damping parameters. The results provide an effective and flexible way to tailor the microwave permeability spectra and broaden the frequency linewidth toward the low frequency range in [ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic](n) exchange bias multilayer films system. This approach has potential application for tunable wideband high frequency noise filters. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.