Inductive writer design 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 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;
• a second substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer disposed in the head adjacent to the medium-facing surface and oriented substantially parallel to the first soft magnetic layer, the second pole layer spaced greater than one micron from the first pole layer and magnetically coupled to the first pole layer in a core region removed from the medium-facing surface;
• a soft magnetic pedestal that adjoins the first substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer adjacent to the medium-facing surface;
• a first high magnetic saturation layer that adjoins the soft magnetic pedestal;
• a second high magnetic saturation layer that adjoins the second substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer and is separated from the first high magnetic saturation layer by a nanoscale nonferromagnetic gap, the first high magnetic saturation layer having a first throat height and the second high magnetic saturation layer extending from the medium-facing surface only to a second throat height, wherein the first and second throat heights are within about one and one-half microns from the medium-facing surface and are essentially equal;
• and
• at least one coil layer disposed between the first substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer and the second substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer.