Patent ID: 7035047

Claim:
A magnetic head, comprising: a substrate; an undercoating coupled to the substrate, wherein the undercoating has a thickness in a range of between about 0.5 microns and about 1.5 microns in a direction perpendicular to a plane of a surface of the undercoating engaging the substrate, wherein the undercoating is formed of a different material than the substrate, wherein the substrate and the undercoating are constructed of materials having comparable thermal expansion coefficients within 30% of each other, wherein the undercoating is constructed of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than that of amorphous Al 2 O 3 ; a read element coupled to the undercoating; and a write element coupled to the undercoating, the write element having an electrically conductive coil, wherein the undercoating has a thickness in the range of about 0.5 microns to about 0.6 microns.