Modified spontaneous emission from a two-dimensional photonic bandgap crystal slab

A two-dimensional photonic crystal patterned into a thin dielectric slab waveguide is shown to alter drastically the lifetime of spontaneous emission as well as the radiation pattern. This means that although the light extraction efficiency can be greatly enhanced, inhibited spontaneous emission within the photonic bandgap can result in low power output from such a structure. Strongly inhibited emission is found within the photonic bandgap as well as enhanced emission into the conduction band modes for certain geometries. Coupled with enhanced extraction efficiency in the photonic conduction band, this results in the possibility of a structure with increased total power efficiency.