Patent ID: 7955718

Claim:
An organic EL element provided with a base, first and second electrode layers situated facing each other on one side of said base, and a luminescent layer situated between the electrode layers, wherein one of said first electrode layer and said second electrode layer is a hole injection electrode layer while the other is an electron injection electrode layer, an organic thin-film layer made by vapor deposition of a polar organic compound with an energy gap of 3.5 eV or greater is provided between said luminescent layer and said electron injection electrode layer, said organic thin-film layer has a thickness of 0.1 nm-4 nm, said polar organic compound has a molecular weight or weight average molecular weight no greater than 1000, said polar organic compound is a heterocyclic ring-containing compound having a heterocyclic ring comprising nitrogen as the hetero atom, and said electron injection electrode layer includes a layer composed of at least one type of substance selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, rare earth metals and compounds of these metals, formed on the side nearest said organic thin-film layer, wherein a layer composed of at least one type of substance from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, rare earth metals, rare earth metals and compounds of these metals is further provided between said organic thin-film layer and said electron injection electrode layer.