High-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) devices are based both on the 111-V compound and silicon semiconductor technologies. The 111-V semiconductors are more efficient than silicon for concentrator technology when the incident flux exceeds about 200 suns. These devices are of both single-and multijunction configurations, the latter being primarily feasible by the epitaxial growth of combinations of binary and ternary compounds. Work has focused on semiconducting materials in the GaAs and AlXGa,-& series, although other 111-Vs have recently been developed for PV applications. The role of the minority-carrier lifetime and mobility in high-efficiency devices is discussed. The state-of-the-art of current popular materials is reviewed.