Patent ID: 7551407

Claim:
A thin-film magnetic head comprising: a medium facing surface that faces toward a recording medium; and a magnetoresistive element disposed near the medium facing surface, wherein the magnetoresistive element has a first end located in the medium facing surface, and a second end opposite to the first end, the thin-film magnetic head further comprising: an insulating film disposed adjacent to the second end; and an adjacent layer disposed adjacent to the insulating film, the adjacent layer being made of a metal material having a linear thermal expansion coefficient whose absolute value is 1×10 −6 /° C. or smaller at a temperature of 30° C., wherein the insulating film includes a portion located between the second end and the adjacent layer; and the magnetoresistive element, the portion of the insulating film located between the second end and the adjacent layer, and the adjacent layer are aligned in this order in a direction perpendicular to the medium facing surface.