Even when 
compression stress is generated because a volume of a 
thermal insulation layer 2 is expanded due to oxidized by 
oxygen in the air, occurrence of cracks and fractures of the 
thermal insulation layer and a heating conductor 3 caused by the cracks are prevented by dispersing the 
compression stress. A 
pressure wave generator comprises a substrate 1, the 
thermal insulation layer 2 of porous material which is formed on a surface of the substrate 1 in thickness direction, and the heating conductor 3 of thin film formed on the thermal 
insulation layer 2, and generates pressure 
waves by heat exchange between the heating conductor 3 and a medium. When a thickness at the center of the thermal 
insulation layer 2 in width direction W is used as a reference thickness, and it is assumed that distribution of thickness of thermal 
insulation layer in the width direction is averaged with the reference thickness, 
porosity in an outer 
peripheral portion of the thermal insulation layer is made smaller than 
porosity in the center portion. By making the 
porosity in the outer 
peripheral portion of the thermal insulation layer 2 smaller, a number of immovable points on the outer periphery of the thermal insulation layer 2 restricted by the substrate 1 is increased and the positions of them are dispersed, so that the 
compression stress compressed in the outer 
peripheral portion of the thermal insulation layer 2 can be dispersed.