PURPOSE: To provide a thin film EL element which does not cause dielectric breakdown even if pattern etching of metal electrodes is carried out by a wet etching method.

CONSTITUTION: Regarding a thin film EL element in which a metal electrode 2, a first insulating layer 3, a luminescent layer 4 are formed successively on a heat resistant substrate 1, the luminescent layer is coated with a second insulating layer 5, and a transparent electrode 6 is formed on the layer 5; the first insulating layer 3 has a double-layer structure composed of a first insulating film layer 3a and a second insulating film layer 3b. The first insulating film layer 3a is formed by lift-off method immediately after the metal electrode 2 formation.