Patent ID: 7932980

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate having plural pixels defined between the first and the second substrate; a first and a second polarizing layer on an exterior surface of the first and the second substrate, respectively; a first and a second alignment layer on an inner surface of the first and the second substrate, respectively; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second alignment layer, the liquid crystal layer treated so that liquid crystal molecules are aligned parallel to the surfaces of the first and second substrate in the absence of applied electric fields; an insulating layer between the one of the first and second alignment layers and the corresponding one of the first and the second substrate on which the first and the second group of electrodes are formed; and each of the plural pixels comprising: a first group of electrodes including a first and a second common electrode formed on the insulating layer and a first pixel electrode formed on the one of the first and the second substrate below the first and the second common electrode, wherein the first and the second common electrodes have widths in the range of approximately 0.1 to approximately 0.95 times of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, the first pixel electrode having a width larger than approximately 0.1 of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and the distance between the first pixel electrode and each of the first and the second common electrodes is less than a liquid crystal layer cell gap; and a second group of electrodes including a second and a third pixel electrode formed on the one of the first and second substrate and a third common electrode formed on the insulating layer above the second and the third pixel electrode, the widths of the second and the third pixel electrode and the third common electrode are less than a cell gap of the liquid crystal layer, wherein the horizontal distance between the first and the second group of electrodes is greater than or equal to the thickness of the liquid crystal layer; and a thin-film transistor formed on the one of the first and second substrate having the first and second group of electrodes formed thereon; and wherein a substantially fringing electric field containing both horizontal and vertical electric field components is generated within the regions above and below the first and the second group of electrodes and a substantially horizontal electric field is generated within the regions of the liquid crystal layer between the first and second group of electrodes.