Patent ID: 7443632

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 substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer disposed in the head adjacent to the medium-facing surface and extending substantially perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, wherein a portion of the first magnetic pole layer adjacent to the medium-facing surface has a first medium-facing area substantially at the medium-facing surface; a second substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer disposed between the first pole layer and the trailing end, oriented substantially parallel to the first pole layer, spaced greater than one micron from the first pole layer and magnetically coupled to the first pole layer in a backgap region that is removed from the medium-facing surface, wherein the second pole layer is recessed from the medium-facing surface; a third pole layer extending substantially perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, the third pole layer residing between the second pole layer and the trailing end and being magnetically coupled with the second pole layer, a portion of the third pole layer disposed adjacent to the medium-facing surface, the portion having a second medium-facing area, wherein the first medium-facing area is at least two orders of magnitude greater than the second medium-facing area; and an electrically conductive coil that encircles the second pole layer, the coil including a plurality of substantially parallel, electrically conductive sections disposed in a coil layer that is located between the first and second pole layers, each of the conductive sections having a portion substantially parallel to the medium-facing surface, the portion having a length measured in a direction that is substantially parallel to the medium-facing surface, wherein the length of at least two of the portions of the conductive sections is different.