U.S. RFMD (RF Micro Devices) announced that it has started with the U.S. Department of Energy renewable energy technology research institution "National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)" to develop an efficient use of compound semiconductor solar cells. Development cooperation will continue until at least the beginning of 2012.

NREL was in August 2008 developed a combination of the three GaInP and GaInAs junction type solar cells, and confirmed that 326 times the condenser, its conversion efficiency up to 40.8%. For NREL, the purpose of this collaboration is to develop the use of a compound semiconductor RFMD has production plants to establish efficient solar cell production technology.

RFMD and NREL developed in the partnership set up three development stages. The first phase is the ability to NREL RFMD production line manufacturing a solar cell; second stage is manufactured solar cell technology show. The third stage is to establish high-yield, high productivity and low cost mass production technology.