Patent ID: 8228636

Claim:
An apparatus for magnetic recording, the apparatus comprising: a first portion of a first magnetic medium having a first cross-sectional area; and a second portion of a second magnetic medium having a second cross-sectional area, wherein the first and second portions are joined by way of a junction that allows for ferromagnetic coupling between the first portion and the second portion and to thereby form a first composite magnetic element, wherein the first and second cross-sectional areas are of differing extent in a first dimension so that a first ledge portion of one of the first and second portions extends past a first edge of the other of the first and second portions, wherein the first ledge portion allows for at most a weak ferromagnetic coupling between the first composite magnetic element and at least one neighboring composite magnetic element that is insufficient to alter magnetization state of the at least one neighboring composite magnetic element while magnetization state of the first composite magnetic element is being altered, and wherein the first magnetic medium is a magnetically soft medium, and wherein the second magnetic medium is a magnetically hard medium.