  The off-diagonal magnetoimpedance in field-annealed CoFeSiB amorphous ribbons
was measured in the low-frequency range using a pick-up coil wound around the
sample. The asymmetric two-peak behavior of the field dependence of the
off-diagonal impedance was observed. The asymmetry is attributed to the
formation of a hard magnetic crystalline phase at the ribbon surface. The
experimental results are interpreted in terms of the surface impedance tensor.
It is assumed that the ribbon consists of an inner amorphous region and surface
crystalline layers. The coupling between the crystalline and amorphous phases
is described through an effective bias field. A qualitative agreement between
the calculated dependences and experimental data is demonstrated. The results
obtained may be useful for development of weak magnetic-field sensors.
