Patent ID: 7916257

Claim:
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprising: an upper substrate including a light blocking layer having an opening portion; a polarization plate having a transmission axis; a lower substrate facing the upper substrate and disposed on the polarization plate, the lower substrate comprising: a plurality of gate lines extending in a first direction; a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of pixel electrodes, each of the pixel electrodes being electrically connected to a TFT that is electrically connected to a selected gate line and a selected data line; a protection layer formed on the lower substrate such that the protection layer covers the gate lines and the data lines; and a pattern disposed in a pixel region of the substrate to induce a stepped portion of the protection layer, a longitudinal direction of the pattern forming an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the transmission axis, the pattern being formed in a region corresponding to the opening portion; and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the upper and lower substrates, the liquid crystal layer having a vertical alignment (VA) mode, wherein the transmission axis is substantially parallel to the first direction or the second direction, wherein if a thickness of the pattern of one area is thicker than about 3000 angstroms, a side of the protection layer on the pattern of the area forms an inclination angle of no more than about 45 degrees, wherein if a thickness of the pattern of the area is in a range of about 2000 angstroms to about 3000 angstroms, then the side of the protection layer on the pattern of the area forms an inclination angle of no more than about 50 degrees, and wherein if a thickness of the pattern of the area is less than about 2000 angstroms, then the side of the protection layer on the pattern of the area forms an inclination angle of no more than about 90 degrees.