Patent ID: 7310204

Claim:
A magnetic head for writing information on a relatively-moving medium, the head having a leading end, a trailing end and a medium-facing surface, the head comprising: a first soft magnetic layer disposed in the head adjacent to the medium-facing surface and extending substantially perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, the first soft magnetic layer being substantially flat; a second soft magnetic layer disposed in the head adjacent to the medium-facing surface and oriented substantially parallel to the first soft magnetic layer, the second soft magnetic layer being substantially flat, the second soft magnetic layer spaced greater than on micron from the first soft magnetic layer and magnetically coupled to the first soft magnetic layer in a core region that is removed from the medium-facing surface; a soft magnetic pedestal that adjoins the first soft magnetic layer adjacent to the medium facing surface and is spaced from the second soft magnetic layer by a submicron nonferromagnetic gap, the pedestal including a high magnetic saturation layer, a first portion of the high magnetic saturation layer defining a throat height and having a first thickness of at least fifty nanometers and less than one-half micron, a second portion of the high magnetic saturation layer extending further than the throat height from the medium facing surface and having a second thickness, the second thickness being less than the first thickness and at least twenty nanometers and less than one-fourth micron, the second portion of the high magnetic saturation layer being substantially flat and having a substantially constant spacing from the second soft magnetic layer; and a plurality of coil layers, each of the coil layers including an electrically conductive coil that encircles the core region, each of the coils having at least one coil section that is disposed between the soft magnetic layers and between the pedestal and the core region.