  We report on the magnetization depth profile of a hybrid exchange spring
system in which a Co/Pd multilayer with perpendicular anisotropy is coupled to
a CoFeB thin film with in-plane anisotropy. The competition between these two
orthogonal anisotropies promotes a strong depth dependence of the magnetization
orientation. The angle of the magnetization vector is sensitive both to the
strength of the individual anisotropies and to the local exchange constant, and
is thus tunable by changing the thickness of the CoFeB layer and by
substituting Ni for Pd in one layer of the Co/Pd stack. The resulting magnetic
depth profiles are directly probed by element specific x-ray magnetic circular
dichroism (XMCD) of the Co, Fe, and Ni layers located at different average
depths. The experimental results are corroborated by micromagnetic simulations.
