Organic electroluminescent device and production process thereof

Abstract

An organic electroluminescent device including a substrate, the substrate includes, laminated thereon, an anode layer; an organic structure including at least one light-emissive layer or at least one light-emissive unit having at least one light-emissive layer; a low resistance electron-transporting layer including a mixed layer of an electron-donating metal dopant and an organic compound; an organometallic complex-contained layer including an organometallic complex compound containing at least one metal ion selected from the group having an alkaline metal ion, an alkaline earth metal ion and a rare earth metal ion; a reducing reaction generating layer; and a cathode layer, in that order. At least one of the anode layer and the cathode layer is transparent. The reducing reaction generating layer is a layer produced by depositing on the organometallic complex-contained layer a thermally reducible metal capable of reducing a metal ion in the organometallic complex compound in a vacuum to the corresponding metal, followed by causing an oxidation-reduction reaction therebetween.