Surface state photonic bandgap cavities

We propose and analyze a new type of a resonant high-Q cavity for lasing, sensing or filtering applications, which is based on a surface states of a finite photonic crystal. We demonstrate that such the cavity can have a Q factor comparable with that one of conventional photonic band-gap defect mode cavities. At the same time, the distinguished feature of the surface mode cavity is that it is situated directly at the surface of the photonic crystal. This might open up new possibilities for design of novel photonic devices and integration of photonic circuits.