Abstract:
A liquid crystal display device for preventing light leakage includes a display substrate having gate and data lines arranged in a matrix format and an image display device connected to the gate and data lines, an opposing substrate bonded to the display substrate with liquid crystals disposed therebetween, a touch sensor operated by a pressurization of the opposing substrate, and a gate shielding line arranged parallel with the gate line on the opposing substrate to cut off an electric field caused by the gate line.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2006-121184 filed on Dec. 4, 2006 and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, and the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) device, and more particularly, to a touch panel equipped LCD device. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for preventing light leakage by being provided with a built-in touch sensor and a gate shielding line. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Generally, a touch panel is an input means, which is provided to an image display such as a cathode ray tube, an LCD, a field emission display, a plasma display panel, and an electroluminescence device, for inputting information in a manner that a user pressurizes a screen by contact force. 
         [0006]    The touch panels are classified into a resistance film type and a capacitance type. In the resistance film type touch panel, when a voltage is applied between two opposing conductive layers, a user presses a screen to make the two conductive layers come into contact with each other. A voltage or current variation generated from the contact point is then detected to read a coordinate value of the contact point. 
         [0007]    In the capacitance type touch panel, while capacitance charging or discharging iteratively keeps taking place on a transparent conductive film or glass, a small quantity of electric charges is accumulated between the conductive film and a stylus as a pen type input means. The electric charge quantity is detected from an input point to be converted into a coordinate value. Since the capacitance type touch panel is required to supply electricity to the stylus, an analog input resistance type touch panel, which is built in one body of a liquid crystal display panel among flat panel displays, is preferred. 
         [0008]    However, light leakage occurs in the touch panel loaded LCD due to a lateral field generated between a gate line and a common electrode. Extending a masking dimension of a black matrix to solve the problem causes another problem, namely that transmissivity or an aperture ratio is reduced. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. 
         [0010]    An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device, by which an aperture ratio and transmissivity can be enhanced by controlling light leakage with a gate shielding line. 
         [0011]    Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
         [0012]    In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal display device includes a display substrate having gate and data lines arranged in a matrix format and an image display device connected to the gate and data lines, an opposing substrate bonded to the display substrate with liquid crystals disposed therebetween, a touch sensor operated by pressing on the opposing substrate, and a gate shielding line arranged parallel with the gate line on the opposing substrate to cut off an electric field caused by the gate line. 
         [0013]    In some embodiments, the image display device includes a common electrode receiving a common voltage, a thin film transistor connected to the gate and data lines, and a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor to form an electric field with the common electrode. 
         [0014]    In some embodiments, the touch sensor includes a first touch conductive line arranged parallel with the data line, a second touch conductive line arranged parallel with the gate line to be insulated from the first touch conductive line, a first touch pad connected to the first touch conductive line, a second touch pad connected to the second touch conductive line to be arranged in the vicinity of the first touch pad, and a conductive spacer electrically connecting the first and second touch pads to each other by pressing on the opposing substrate to supply a touch signal. 
         [0015]    The conductive spacer may include a spacer formed on the opposing substrate to be projected in a direction of the display substrate and a conductive layer coated on a surface of the spacer. 
         [0016]    In some embodiments, the gate shielding line is provided between the gate line and the common electrode to effectively control a lateral field caused by the gate line. 
         [0017]    In some embodiments, gate shielding lines are provided to both sides of the gate line. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the gate shielding line overlaps a part of the gate line. 
         [0019]    In some embodiments, the gate shielding line has a width of 2˜4 μm. 
         [0020]    The liquid crystal display device may further include a common voltage applying means for applying a common voltage to the gate shielding line. 
         [0021]    In another exemplary embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes a display substrate having gate and data lines arranged in a matrix format and a thin film transistor connected to the data and data lines, an opposing substrate bonded to the display substrate with liquid crystals disposed therebetween, the opposing substrate having a common electrode, a touch sensor operated by a pressurization of the opposing substrate, a pixel electrode formed on the display substrate and connected to the thin film transistor to receive a pixel voltage, and a floating electrode formed on the display substrate to be separated from the pixel electrode. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments, the pixel electrode is provided with a floating electrode hole and the floating electrode is provided in an island shape within the floating electrode hole to be spaced apart from the pixel electrode. 
         [0023]    In some embodiments, the pixel electrode includes a plurality of leg portions arranged parallel with and spaced apart from each other and a connecting portion connecting the plurality of leg portions to each other, and the floating electrode includes a plurality of island type electrodes formed between the leg portions and spaced apart from the pixel electrode. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  is a layout of an LCD device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line I-I′ shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line II-II′ shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional diagram to show a case when an opposing substrate shown in  FIG. 3  is pressed; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 5A to 5C  are graphs of simulation results of a lateral field generation in an LCD device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a layout of an LCD device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line I-I′ shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line II-II′ shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a layout of a pixel electrode and a floating electrode according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 10  is a graph of a simulation result of an electric field generation in an LCD according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
       First Embodiment 
       [0036]    An LCD device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3  as follows.  FIG. 1  is a layout of an LCD device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line I-I′ shown in  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line II-II′ shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , an LCD device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a display substrate  1 , an opposing substrate  2 , an image display device  10 , a touch sensor  20 , and a gate shielding line  30 . 
         [0038]    The display substrate  1  is provided with a gate line  11 , a data line  12 , and the image display device  10 . The display substrate  1  is generally formed of a transparent insulating substrate such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. 
         [0039]    A plurality of gate lines  11  is aligned parallel to be spaced evenly spaced apart from each other. A scan signal is applied to the corresponding gate line  11  to drive a thin film transistor. The gate line  11  is formed of a single metal layer or multiple layers. Optionally, the gate line  11  may be configured to have a double-layer structure including a transparent conductive layer and a non-transparent metal layer formed on the transparent conductive layer. 
         [0040]    The data line  12  is arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the gate line  11  while insulated from the gate line  11 . Like the gate lines  11 , a plurality of data lines  12  is aligned parallel with each other. In the present embodiment, since one touch sensor is provided per three sub-pixels, an alignment space for the touch sensor can be provided, as shown in  FIG. 1 , between the 3rd data line of each group of three data lines  12  and the first data line of the next group of three data lines  12 . 
         [0041]    The data line  12  is formed of a single metal line or multiple layers like the gate line  11 . A pixel signal is applied to the data line  12 . And, the pixel signal is applied to a pixel electrode via the thin film transistor. 
         [0042]    The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer  13 , and source and drain electrodes  14  and  15 . The gate electrode is connected to the gate line  11  and controls a turn-on time of the thin film transistor by receiving a scan signal from the gate line  11 . The semiconductor layer  13  overlays the gate electrode with a gate insulating layer  16  in between. The semiconductor layer  13  is formed of amorphous silicon or polysilicon. Alternatively, an ohmic contact layer  17  may be further formed on the semiconductor layer  13 . In this case, the ohmic contact layer  17  is provided to form ohmic contact between the semiconductor layer  13  and the source or drain electrode  14  or  15 . 
         [0043]    One end of the source electrode  14  is connected to the data line  12 , while the other end thereof overlaps a part of the semiconductor layer  13 . Accordingly, a pixel signal from the data line  12  is applied to the source electrode  14  and is then delivered to the drain electrode  15  via a channel formed in the semiconductor layer  13 . One end of the drain electrode  15  overlaps a part of the semiconductor layer  13 , while the other end thereof is connected to the pixel electrode  18 . 
         [0044]    A common electrode  19  is formed on the display substrate  1  together with the thin film transistor. A common electrode line  19   a , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is provided parallel with the gate line  11 . And, the common electrode  19 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , lies on the same layer where the gate line  11  is located. 
         [0045]    The common electrode  19  is formed wide across an entire surface of a pixel area. The common electrode  19  may be patterned to enhance a viewing angle. A reference voltage for driving liquid crystals, i.e., a common voltage is applied to the common electrode line  19   a . The common voltage is then supplied to each pixel. In the present embodiment, since the common electrode  19  is formed on the display substrate  1  together with the pixel electrode  18 , an electric field generated by the pixel electrode  18  and the common electrode  19  corresponds to a parallel electric field or a fringe field type electric field. 
         [0046]    In another embodiment, the common electrode may be formed on the opposing substrate  2 . In this alternative case, a vertical electric field or a fringe field type electric field is generated by the pixel electrode  18  on the display substrate  1  and the common electrode on the opposing substrate  2 . 
         [0047]    The pixel electrode  18 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , is connected to the drain electrode  15  and is arranged in the pixel area. In the present embodiment, the pixel electrode  18 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is configured to have a predetermined cutting pattern. The pixel electrode  18  may have one of various patterns for viewing angle enhancement or lateral visibility enhancement. 
         [0048]    Optionally, a color filter may be further formed on the display substrate  1 . Alternatively, the color filter may be formed on the opposing substrate. The color filter is provided to display a color per pixel area and includes three colors, red (R), green (G), and blue (B). Sub-pixels having R, G, and B colors constitute one pixel. 
         [0049]    The display substrate  1  is provided with a first touch conductive line  21 , a second touch conductive line  22 , a first touch pad  23 , and a second touch pad  24 . The first touch conductive line  21 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , runs parallel with the gate line  11  and decides a coordinate value in a vertical direction on the drawing. And, the first touch conductive line  21  is formed of the same metal as the gate line  11  and the common electrode line  19   a  on the same layer as the gate line  11  and the common electrode line  19   a.    
         [0050]    The first touch pad  23  contacts with the first touch conductive line  21  and comes into contact with a conductive spacer  26  of the opposing substrate by pressing on the opposing substrate  2 . In the present embodiment, the first touch pad  23  includes a first lower touch pad  23   a  and a first upper touch pad  23   b . The first lower touch pad  23   a , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is arranged on the same layer as the first touch conductive line  21 . The first upper touch pad  23   b  comes into contact with the lower touch pad  23   a  via a contact hole  23   c  and is placed over the first lower touch pad  23   a . Thus, the first upper touch pad  23   b  is provided to match a height with the second touch pad  24  that will be explained later. 
         [0051]    The second touch conductive line  22 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is parallel with the data line  12 . The second touch conductive line  22  decides a coordinate value in a horizontal direction on the drawing. The second touch pad  24  contacts with the second touch conductive line  22 . Like the first touch pad  23 , the second touch pad  24  includes a second lower touch pad  24   a  and a second upper touch pad  24   b.    
         [0052]    The second lower touch pad  24   a , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is formed of the same metal as the data line  12  on the same layer as the data line  12 . The second upper touch pad  24   b  comes into contact with the second lower touch pad  24   a  via a contact hole  24   c . And, the second upper touch pad  24   b , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is arranged at the same height as the first upper touch pad  23   b  over the display substrate  1 . Simultaneous contacts of the first upper touch pad  23   b  and the second upper touch pad  24   b  are facilitated by a conductive spacer  26 . 
         [0053]    A common electrode pad  25 , as shown in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 3 , is further provided to contact with the common electrode line  19   a . The common electrode pad  25  supplies a common voltage, which is a touch signal, to the first and second touch pads  23  and  24 . In particular, if the common electrode pad  25  and the first and second touch pads  23  and  24  are simultaneously contacted by the conductive spacer  26 , a common voltage is supplied to the first and second touch pads  23  and  24  from the common electrode pad  25 . The common voltage is then transferred via the first and second touch lines  21  and  22  to enable a coordinate value of a touched position to be read. 
         [0054]    In an embodiment where a common electrode is formed on the opposing substrate, since a common voltage is applied to a conductive layer formed on a surface of a conductive spacer, the common electrode pad is not formed on the display substrate. 
         [0055]    In the present embodiment, the common electrode pad  25 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a lower common electrode pad  25   a  and an upper common electrode pad  25   b . The lower common electrode pad  25   a  is formed on the same layer where the common electrode  19  is formed and is connected to the common electrode line  19   a . The upper common electrode pad  25   b  is connected to the lower common electrode pad  25   b  via a contact hole  25   c . The upper common electrode pad  25   b  is arranged at the same height as the first or second upper touch pad  23   b  or  24   b  to facilitate a contact with the conductive spacer  26 . 
         [0056]    The gate shielding line  30  and the conductive spacer  26  are formed on the opposing substrate  2 . The conductive spacer  26  is an element to configure the touch sensor  20  and applies a touch signal to each of the first and second touch pads  23  and  24  spaced apart from each other. In particular, while the conductive spacer  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , maintains an insulated state by being spaced apart from each of the first and second touch pads  23  and  24 , if the opposing substrate  2  is pressed, a lower end of the conductive spacer  26 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , simultaneously comes into contact with the first touch pad  23 , the second touch pad  24  and the common electrode pad  25  to apply a common voltage of the common electrode pad  25  to each of the first and second touch pads  23  and  24 . If so, a coordinate value according to the first and second touch conductive lines  21  and  22  can be recognized. 
         [0057]    In the present embodiment, the conductive spacer  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a spacer  26   a  and a conductive layer  26   b . The spacer  26   a  is formed on the opposing substrate  2  to be displaced in a direction toward the display substrate  1 . A height H of the spacer  26   a  should be smaller than a spaced distance D between the opposing substrate  2  and the display substrate  1 . In order to raise sensitivity of the touch sensor, the conductive layer  26   b  is preferably as close as it can be to each of the first and second touch pads  23  and  24  when the conductive layer  26   b  is not in contact with the first and second touch pads  23  and  24 . 
         [0058]    The spacer  26   a  is formed of a conductive polymer such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), PProDOT-(CH 3 ) 2 , or polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) or of an organic insulating substance such as an acryl resin. 
         [0059]    The conductive layer  26   a  is coated on a surface of the spacer  26   a , and more particularly, on a lower surface and is formed of a highly conductive metal using sputtering. The area of the conductive layer  26   b  is dimensioned just enough to cover the first upper touch pad  23   b , the second upper touch pad  24   b  and the upper common electrode pad  25   b . It is not preferable to increase the area of the conductive layer  26  to avoid reducing the aperture ratio. 
         [0060]    The gate shielding line  30  controls a lateral field generated between the gate line  11  and the common electrode  19 . For this, the gate shielding line  30 , as shown in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2 , is arranged between the gate line  11  and the common electrode  19  on the opposing substrate  2 . Preferably, the gate shielding line  30  runs in the vicinity of the gate line  11 . Should a slight misalignment take place in the course of bonding the opposing substrate  2  and the display substrate  1  together, the gate shielding line  30  in the vicinity of the common electrode  19  overlaps the common electrode  19 , thereby reducing an aperture ratio. Therefore, the gate shielding line  30  may be positioned to run in the vicinity of the gate line  22  to slightly overlap the gate line  11 . In the present embodiment, the gate shielding line  30  preferably has a width of 2˜4 μm. 
         [0061]    Optionally, gate shielding lines may be provided to both sides of the gate line  11 . 
         [0062]    A common voltage applying means  32 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is further provided to the LCD device according to the embodiment of the present invention to apply a common voltage to the gate shielding line  30 . The common voltage applying means  32 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is preferably provided to a peripheral part as a non-display area of the opposing substrate  2 . In particular, the common voltage applying means  32  includes a common voltage supply pad (not shown) formed on the display substrate  1  to apply the common voltage to the common electrode line  19   a , an upper pad (not shown) formed on the opposing substrate  2 , and a conductive member (not shown) connecting the common voltage supply pad and the upper pad together. 
         [0063]    Finally, a liquid crystal layer  40  is provided between the display substrate  1  and an opposing substrate  2 . The liquid crystal layer  40  is driven by an electric field generated by the pixel electrode  18  and the common electrode  19  and displays an image by controlling transmissivity of light passing through the liquid crystal layer  40 . 
         [0064]    In the present embodiment, it is able to use both vertical field type liquid crystals and horizontal field type liquid crystals. Preferably, the horizontal field type liquid crystals are used for the present invention. 
         [0065]    Effects of the gate shielding line  30  of the present embodiment are explained with reference to  FIGS. 5A to 5C  which are graphs of simulation results.  FIG. 5A  is a graph that shows a lateral field generation without a gate shielding line. Referring to  FIG. 5A , it is observed that a lateral field generated between the gate line  11  and the common electrode  19  is formed wide in a direction of and overlapping the common electrode  19 . The lateral field causes light leakage. 
         [0066]      FIG. 5B  is a graph of a lateral field generation in an LCD device provided with the gate shielding line  30  of the present embodiment. Referring to  FIG. 5B , it is observed that the lateral field generated between the gate line  11  and the common electrode  19  is restricted by the gate shielding line  30 . Therefore, even if there is a misalignment between a display substrate and an opposing substrate, a gate shielding line restricts a lateral field to prevent light leakage. 
         [0067]      FIG. 5C  is a graph of a lateral field generation when the gate shielding line  30  of the present embodiment gets closer to the gate line  11 . Referring to  FIG. 5C , it is observed that a lateral field generated between the gate line  11  and the common electrode  30  is further restricted by the gate shielding line  30 . 
       Second Embodiment 
       [0068]    An LCD device according to a second exemplary embodiment is explained with reference to  FIGS. 6 to 8 .  FIG. 6  is a layout of an LCD device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line I-I′ shown in  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional diagram taken along line II-II′ shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0069]    Referring to  FIGS. 6 to 8 , an LCD device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a display substrate  101 , an opposing substrate  102 , a touch sensor  120 , a thin film transistor  110 , a pixel electrode  118 , a common electrode  119 , a floating electrode  140 , and a gate shielding line  130 . 
         [0070]    The display substrate  101  provided with a gate line  111 , a data line  112  and the thin film transistor  110  is substantially identical to the display substrate  1  of the first embodiment of the present invention, and therefore shall not be re-explained in the following description. 
         [0071]    The pixel electrode  118  of the present embodiment is connected to a drain electrode  115  of the thin film transistor  110  and receives a pixel voltage. In the present embodiment, the pixel electrode  118 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , includes a leg portion  118   a  and a connecting portion  118   b . A plurality of leg portions  118   a  is arranged parallel with and spaced apart from each other. The connecting portion  118   b  connects the plurality of leg portions  118   a  into one electrode  118 . One end of the connecting portion  118   b , as shown in  FIG. 6 , is connected to the drain electrode  115  via a contact hole C. 
         [0072]    The floating electrode  140 , as shown in  FIG. 6  or  FIG. 7 , is arranged on the same layer where the pixel electrode  118  is located to be spaced apart from the pixel electrode  118 . No voltage is applied to the floating electrode  140 . An electric field for rotating liquid crystals is generated between the floating electrode  140  and the pixel electrode  118 . Hence, the common electrode  119  is arranged on the opposing substrate  102  instead of being formed on the display substrate  101  and is advantageous in raising transmissivity. 
         [0073]    The floating electrode  140 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , is placed in spaces between the plurality of leg portions  118   a . The floating electrode  140  includes a bar type electrode  142  provided to each of the spaces between the leg portions  118   a . The bar type electrodes  142  may be connected to each other by a connecting electrode  144 . 
         [0074]    Alternatively, the pixel electrode  118  and the floating electrode  140  may be configured to have the structure shown in  FIG. 9 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , the pixel electrode  118  is provided with a plurality of floating electrode holes  118   c . A plurality of the floating electrode holes  118   c  is arranged parallel or non-parallel with each other to be spaced apart from each other. An island type floating electrode  140  is provided within each of a plurality of the floating electrode holes  118   c.    
         [0075]    The touch sensor  120  of the present embodiment includes a first touch conductive line  121 , a second touch conductive line  122 , and a conductive spacer  126 . The first touch conductive line  121  is arranged parallel with the gate line  111  and decides a coordinate value in a vertical direction. The second touch conductive line  122  is arranged parallel with the data line  112  and decides a coordinate value in a horizontal direction. The first and second touch conductive lines  121  and  122  may be directly connected to each other by a conductive spacer  126 . Alternatively, the first and second touch conductive lines  121  and  122 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , may be connected to each other via the first and second touch pads  123  and  124 . 
         [0076]    In this case, the first touch pad  123  is connected to the first touch conductive line  121 . The first touch pad  123 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , includes a first lower touch pad  123   a  and a first upper touch pad  123   b . The second touch pad  124  is connected to the second touch conductive line  122  and includes a second lower touch pad  124   a  and a second upper touch pad  124   b . Preferably, the first and second upper touch pads  123   b  and  124   b  are arranged at the same height to enhance sensitivity of the touch sensor  120 . 
         [0077]    The conductive spacer  126  and the gate shielding line  130  are substantially the same as explained in the description of the first embodiment of the present invention, which will not be re-explained in the following description. 
         [0078]      FIG. 10  is a graph of a simulation result of an electric field generation in an LCD device according to the present invention. 
         [0079]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , it is observed that an electric field for rotating liquid crystals is generated between the pixel electrode  118  and the floating electrode  140 . Hence, it is able to enhance an aperture ratio by forming the common electrode  119  on the opposing substrate  102  without a common electrode pad. 
         [0080]    Accordingly, the present invention provides the following effects or advantages. 
         [0081]    First of all, a lateral field generated between a gate line and a common electrode can be effectively restricted by a gate shielding line, whereby light leakage can be effectively prevented without increasing a width of a black matrix. 
         [0082]    Secondly, the present invention is able to generate a horizontal field with a floating electrode by providing a common electrode to an opposing substrate, thereby avoiding reducing an aperture ratio. 
         [0083]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.