The optical transmission(200--2000 nm), sheet resistance and work functions of indium-tin oxide(ITO)(100 Ω/), ITO(12 Ω/), zinc-oxide(ZnO), aluminum-doped ZnO(AZO) and polyaniline(PANI) films were investigated. Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes(NIR-OLEDs) emitting around 1.54 μm based on Er(DBM)3Phen with ITO(100 Ω/), ITO(12 Ω/) and PANI as anodes, respectively, were fabricated. The device structure was anode/4"-tris(N-3-methylphenyl-N-phenyl-amino)-triphenylamine(m-MTDATA)/ N,N'-di-l-naphthyl- N,N'-diphenylbenzidine(NPB)/Er(DBM)3Phen/tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum(Alq3)/A1. The results suggest that the performance of NIR-OLEDs with ITO(100 Ω/), which has a lower Sn content, as anodes appear to be better than that of NIR-OLEDs with ITO(12 Ω/) and PANI as anodes, respectively. The high N1R transmittance of ITO(100 Ω/) is a major reason for the relatively high NIR EL efficiency. The more balanced holes and electrons in the device based on ITO(100 Ω/) are another reasons.