In the present paper we review our recent works on technology, basic physics, and applications of one-dimensional photonic structures. We demonstrate spontaneous emission control in In_xGa_{1-x}As/GaAs planar microcavities with distributed Bragg reflectors. In general, observed trends are in agreement with theoretical predictions. We also demonstrate the operation of resonant-cavity light emitting diodes and optically pumped vertical cavity light emitting diodes developed recently at the Department of Physics and Technology of Low-Dimensional Structures of the Institute of Electron Technology.