Method and system for providing a magnetic read transducer having a bilayer magnetic seed layer

A magnetic read transducer comprising:

• a first shield;
• an interlayer including at least one of CoFeB and NiFeB on the first shield;
• a bilayer magnetic seed layer on the interlayer, the bilayer magnetic seed layer including a Ni1-xFex layer having a first thickness and a Ni1-yFey layer on the Ni1-xFex layer, the Ni1-yFey sharing an interface with the Ni1-xFex layer, the Ni1-yFey layer having a second thickness, where x is at least 0.45 and not more than 0.55 and where y is at least 0.05 and not more than 0.15, the first thickness being fifteen Angstroms and not more fifty Angstroms, the second thickness being at least fifty Angstroms and not more than two hundred Angstroms;
• a nonmagnetic seed layer on the bilayer magnetic seed layer, the nonmagnetic seed layer including at least one of Ru, NiFeZ, and NiZ, where Z is at least one of Cr, Zr, Rh, and Ta;
• an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer residing on the nonmagnetic seed layer;
• a read sensor on the AFM layer, the read sensor including a pinned layer on the AFM layer, a free layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer, the pinned layer being a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic layer between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, the nonmagnetic spacer layer being a tunneling barrier layer;
• a capping layer on the read sensor;
• and
• a second shield on the capping layer.