Optical surface resonance may render photonic crystals ineffective

In this work, we identify and study the presence of extremely intense surface resonances that frustrate the coupling of photons into a photonic crystal over crucial energy ranges. The practical utility of photonic crystals demands the capability to exchange photons with the external medium; therefore, it is essential to understand the cause of these surface resonances and a route to their elimination. We demonstrate that by modifying the surface geometry, it is possible to tune the optical response or eliminate the resonances to enable full exploitation of the photonic crystal.