Abstract: LCDs for use in high intensity applications such as digital projectors are susceptible to performance degradation resulting from unwanted photoconductive effects that result from scattered light. Furthermore, the constraints under which these devices operate require that their TFTs be made of polysilicon. The present inventions shows how these problems can be overcome by inserting an opaque optical shielding element between the TFT active layer and the lower transparent plate of the LCD. Materials suitable for use in the shielding layer include thermally deposited silicon nitride, layers of silicon oxide and silicon nitride, and a refractory metal encapsulated in a suitable barrier layer.