The document discusses photonic crystals and photonic crystal lasers. Photonic crystals are nanostructures that affect photon propagation through periodic dielectric materials, similarly to how semiconductor crystals affect electron motion. Photonic crystals allow control over photon flow and material properties. Photonic crystal lasers have been designed with quantum dots in the active region and patterned waveguides. They offer ultralow thresholds, high quality factors, and flexibility. However, their output power is currently on the microwatt scale. Potential applications include single-photon sources for quantum information and low-power spectroscopy sources.