In a series of NiFe/Cu/IrMn structures with variable effective thickness of the nonmagnetic copper interlayer (up to its absence in the NiFe/IrMn sample), decrease the exchange bias and coercivity caused by increase in the effective thickness of the copper layer is observed. Merger of copper islands at the 1 nm effective Cu thickness replaces direct exchange interaction between the ferromagnetic NiFe and antiferromagnetic IrMn to indirect exchange interaction provided by the conduction electrons through the copper layer NiFe-Cu-IrMn. The structural quality of single crystalline ferro- and antiferromagnetic layers does not undergo any change and magnetization reversal happens by coherent rotation of magnetization in the all analyzed temperature range 2 - 300 K. Simulation of the dynamics of Cu deposition demonstrates the island structure of the film at the initial stages up to effective thickness 1 nm.