Patent ID: 8072710

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising a reproducing element formed on an undercoat film on a head substrate surface, a recording element formed on the upper side of the reproducing element, and a heater formed on the upper or lower side of the reproducing element, the heater generating heat upon energization so as to project at least the reproducing element by thermal expansion toward a recording medium; wherein a shield layer is formed between the reproducing element and the heater by a plurality of layers including at least first and second shield layers; wherein, in the first and second shield layers, the second shield layer located closer to the heater is formed by a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion smaller than that of the first shield layer located closer to the reproducing element; and wherein the first shield layer is formed by Feâ€”Ni containing about 19 wt % of Fe, while the second shield layer is formed by Feâ€”Ni containing about 58 wt % of Fe.