Inductive writer design for using a soft magnetic pedestal having a high magnetic saturation layer

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 one 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 separated from the second soft magnetic layer by a submicron nonferromagnetic gap, the pedestal having a high magnetic saturation layer adjoining the gap, the high magnetic saturation layer having a first section that is disposed within about one and one-half microns from the medium-facing surface and that is spaced less than one-eighth micron from the second soft magnetic layer, the high magnetic saturation layer having a second section that meets the first section and that is spaced at least twice as far as the first section from the second soft magnetic layer, the first section defining a throat height and having a first thickness of at least fifty nanometers and less than one-half micron, the second section beyond the throat height from the medium facing surface and having a second thickness different from the first thickness, the second thickness being at least twenty nanometers and less than one-fourth micron, the first second section being substantially flat and having a substantially constant spacing from the second soft magnetic layer;
• and
• at least one electrically conductive coil section disposed between the soft magnetic layers and between the pedestal and the core region.