Thin film magnetic head including thermal deformation-preventing layer

A thin film magnetic head comprising a recording and playback element, a lead conductor layer for feeding a power to the recording and playback element, an electrically conductive bump, which is disposed on a back-side end portion in the height direction of the lead conductor layer and which conductively connects the lead conductor layer to an electrode pad for external connection, and an insulating protective layer covering the recording and playback element and the lead conductor layer so as to fill between the recording and playback element and the electrically conductive bump,

• wherein a thermal deformation-preventing layer is composed of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than the thermal expansion coefficient of the insulating protective layer and is disposed in the insulating protective layer in such a way as to be disposed between a surface facing a recording medium and the electrically conductive bump without being exposed at the medium-facing surface,
• wherein the thermal deformation-preventing layer does not contact with the electrically conductive bump, and
• wherein the insulating protective layer is formed from Al2O3, and the thermal deformation-preventing layer is formed from SiO2 or ZrO2.