Combination probe and ring head for vertical recording

Claim 1

Apparatus for writing and reading magnetic flux from a recording surface comprising: a recording medium having a magnetically permeable underlayer; a ferrite substrate having a long surface facing said recording medium opposite said underlayer and movable in a direction of motion relative to the recording medium; a highly permeable ring pole mounted on the ferrite substrate; the ring pole having a tip facing the recording medium; the tip being sufficiently thin in said direction of motion that it saturates during write operations; a highly permeable probe pole mounted on said ring pole and magnetically connected in a back gap region; the probe pole having a tip facing the medium; the tip having a predetermined thickness in the direction of motion head greater than the thickness of the ring pole but less thick than the length of said ferrite facing surface; a read gap between said ring pole tip and said probe tip in said direction of motion; and a large gap formed between said ring pole tip and said facing ferrite surface; whereby during write operations, flux is closed through said probe tip, vertically through said medium to said underlayer, through the underlayer to said long facing ferrite surface, and back through the ferrite substrate and ring pole to the probe pole; and whereby during read operation flux is closed across said read gap and through said probe pole and ring pole.