PURPOSE: To make a film EL element to emit light with high efficiency and high luminance by providing ZnS1-δ (0<δ<1) between a luminous layer and an insulating layer on one side of the luminous layer.

CONSTITUTION: A luminous layer 4 consist of ZnS as a base material and a result film of Mn as a luminescence center impurity, and puts ZnS1-δ (0<δ<1) film respectively between the luminous layer and Si3N4 layers 3, 5 of both sides. With this constitution, when the strong electric field is applied to electrodes 6a and 6b, the luminous layer 4 emits light and light is cought through a transparent substrate 1. At this step, a leak current is restrained because Si3N4 layers 3, 5 have high resistance and low dielectric constant, and migration electric charge in the luminous layer ZnS4 is performed effectively because a part of the base material layer 4 is made of ZnS1-δ. Consequently, the film EL element emits light with high efficiency and high luminance.