  We present a two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal system for interacting
with cold cesium (Cs) atoms. The band structures of the 2D photonic crystals
are predicted to produce unconventional atom-light interaction behaviors,
including anisotropic emission, suppressed spontaneous decay and photon
mediated atom-atom interactions controlled by the position of the atomic array
relative to the photonic crystal. An optical conveyor technique is presented
for continuously loading atoms into the desired trapping positions with optimal
coupling to the photonic crystal. The device configuration also enables
application of optical tweezers for controlled placement of atoms. Devices can
be fabricated reliably from a 200nm silicon nitride device layer using a
lithography-based process, producing predicted optical properties in
transmission and reflection measurements. These 2D photonic crystal devices can
be readily deployed to experiments for many-body physics with neutral atoms,
and engineering of exotic quantum matter.
