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Company · Tempe · United States

First Solar (United States)

In research, First Solar (United States) stands highest in Physical Sciences (#7,586 of 17,446 worldwide), over all time. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering is 14.1× its share of world research).

firstsolar.comROR OpenAlex
World rank, all time
#29,053
of 34,923
Rank in United States
#6,114
of 7,310
Research works
175
◆ 2% vs 2018-21
Citations
3.7k
21.0 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
8.8%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.01×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
23%
world 40%
International
12%
world 18%
First Solar (United States)

What is First Solar (United States) known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, over all time, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
Physical SciencesDomain #7,586 of 17,446 9.1%169

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where First Solar (United States) sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does First Solar (United States) work in?

In 2022-now, 96% of research at First Solar (United States) is in Physical Sciences, 4% in Social Sciences. Its largest fields are Engineering (57%), Materials Science (20%), Environmental Science (9%). It does 2.2× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 40 fractional works · 96.1% of its workEngineering: 24 fractional works · 57.0% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 21 fractional works · 50.1% of its workMechanical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 2.0% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 1 fractional works · 1.4% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 1.3% of its workBuilding and Construction: 0 fractional works · 0.8% of its workMechanics of Materials: 0 fractional works · 0.6% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMaterials Science: 8 fractional works · 20.3% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 7 fractional works · 17.7% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 1 fractional works · 2.5% of its workEnvironmental Science: 4 fractional works · 9.0% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 3.4% of its workPollution: 1 fractional works · 2.8% of its workWater Science and Technology: 1 fractional works · 2.0% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEnergy: 2 fractional works · 3.7% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 2 fractional works · 3.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 1 fractional works · 3.4% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 1 fractional works · 3.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workComputer Science: 1 fractional works · 2.8% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 0 fractional works · 1.2% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 0 fractional works · 0.8% of its workInformation Systems: 0 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 2 fractional works · 3.6% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 2.4% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 1 fractional works · 2.4% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0 fractional works · 0.9% of its workStrategy and Management: 0 fractional works · 0.7% of its workManagement Information Systems: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDecision Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLife Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMedicine: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKFirst Solar(United States)42fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences0%Physical Sciences96%Health Sciences0%Social Sciences4%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 11 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering2457.0%
    2. Materials Science820.3%
    3. Environmental Science49.0%
    4. Energy23.7%
    5. Physics and Astronomy13.4%
    6. Computer Science12.8%
    1. Economics, Econometrics and Finance12.4%
    2. Business, Management and Accounting00.9%
    3. Decision Sciences00.3%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences00.2%
    1. Medicine00.2%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does First Solar (United States) specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Electrical and Electronic Engineering takes 14.1× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield · 21.0 works14×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksAgricultural and Bio…Computer Science: 0.36× its world share, 1 worksComputer ScienceEnergy: 3.97× its world share, 2 worksEnergyEngineering: 3.80× its world share, 24 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.80× its world share, 4 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 5.80× its world share, 8 worksMaterials SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 1.53× its world share, 1 worksPhysics and AstronomyMedicine: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksMedicineBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.29× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.27× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.12× its world share, 1 worksEconomics, Econometr…1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Materials Science, 5.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 11 fields, with their numbers
  1. Materials Science5.80×8 works
  2. Energy3.97×2 works
  3. Engineering3.80×24 works
  4. Environmental Science1.80×4 works
  5. Physics and Astronomy1.53×1 works
  6. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.12×1 works
  7. Computer Science0.36×1 works
  8. Business, Management and Accounting0.29×0 works
  9. Decision Sciences0.27×0 works
  10. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.04×0 works
  11. Medicine0.01×0 works

Who are the top researchers at First Solar (United States)?

Ranked on the quality score, Mahesh Morjaria, Alex F. Panchula and Gang Xiong lead among researchers whose main affiliation is First Solar (United States).

  1. 1 Mahesh Morjaria United States · #792,346 worldwide 1.5k citations · 15 works
  2. 2 Alex F. Panchula United States · #844,172 worldwide 6.3k citations · 57 works
  3. 3 Gang Xiong United States · #1,014,560 worldwide 4.8k citations · 98 works
  4. 4 Parikhit Sinha United States · #1,439,138 worldwide 3.6k citations · 97 works
  5. 5 William Hayes United States · #1,711,818 worldwide 1.3k citations · 55 works
  6. 6 Dmitry N. Krasikov United States · #2,138,601 worldwide 1.1k citations · 39 works
  7. 7 Timothy J. Nagle United States · #2,655,294 worldwide 373 citations · 24 works
  8. 8 Mitchell Lee United States · #2,718,918 worldwide 419 citations · 60 works
  9. 9 Andreas Wade United States · #3,023,261 worldwide 1.5k citations · 27 works
  10. 10 Chungho Lee United States · #3,083,287 worldwide 961 citations · 65 works
All ranked researchers at First Solar (United States)

What are the most cited papers from First Solar (United States)?

The most cited paper from First Solar (United States) is "Performance parameters for grid-connected PV systems" (Bill Marion, Jennifer Adelstein, K. Boyle et al., 2005), with 492 citations. Next come "Research and development priorities for silicon photovoltaic module recycling to support a circular economy" (460) and "The 2020 photovoltaic technologies roadmap" (442).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Performance parameters for grid-connected PV systems Bill Marion, Jennifer Adelstein, K. Boyle et al. Conference paperOpen access 10 Aug 2005 492
2 Research and development priorities for silicon photovoltaic module recycling to support a circular economy Garvin A. Heath, Timothy J. Silverman, Michael Kempe et al. · Nature Energy 13 Jul 2020 460
3 The 2020 photovoltaic technologies roadmap Gregory Wilson et al. · Journal of Physics D Applied Physics Open access 12 Jun 2020 442
4 CdTe-based thin film photovoltaics: Recent advances, current challenges and future prospects Michael A. Scarpulla et al. · Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Open access 28 Mar 2023 409
5 Exceeding 20% efficiency with in situ group V doping in polycrystalline CdTe solar cells Wyatt K. Metzger, Sachit Grover, Donghua Lu et al. · Nature Energy 19 Aug 2019 354
All 59 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at First Solar (United States)?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Photovoltaics, Nanocrystals, Efficiency, Semiconductor, CZTS, Thin-Film Solar Cells, Solar Cells and Quantum Dots.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 37 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 37 words, with their numbers
  1. Photovoltaics18▲ 278×4 topics
  2. Nanocrystals17▲ 156×5 topics
  3. Efficiency14▲ 116×4 topics
  4. Semiconductor11▲ 79×3 topics
  5. CZTS10▲ 444×1 topic
  6. Thin-Film Solar Cells10▲ 444×1 topic
  7. Solar Cells10▲ 112×6 topics
  8. Quantum Dots7▲ 180×3 topics
  9. Semiconductor Nanocrystals6▲ 142×2 topics
  10. Bioimaging6▲ 67×1 topic
  11. Fluorescence Imaging6▲ 102×1 topic
  12. Renewable Energy5▲ 7.7×8 topics
  13. Semiconductors3▲ 27×3 topics
  14. Crystal Growth3▲ 27×2 topics
  15. Organometal Halide Perovskites3▲ 67×1 topic
  16. Perovskite Solar Cells3▲ 67×1 topic
  17. High Efficiency3▲ 170×1 topic
  18. Multijunction Solar Cells3▲ 331×1 topic
  19. Solar Energy2▲ 19×3 topics
  20. Radiation Detection2▲ 125×2 topics
  21. Infrared Detectors2▲ 440×1 topic
  22. Semiconductor Materials2▲ 440×1 topic
  23. Sustainability2▲ 1.84×7 topics
  24. Greenhouse Gas Emissions2▲ 15×3 topics
  25. Climate Change2▲ 1.46×3 topics
  26. Life Cycle Assessment2▲ 14×3 topics
  27. Recycling2▲ 9.6×3 topics
  28. Electrical Properties1▲ 34×4 topics
  29. Photovoltaic Systems1▲ 36×2 topics
  30. Agrivoltaic Systems1▲ 164×1 topic
  31. Artificial Neural Networks1▲ 6.1×3 topics
  32. Household Fuel Use1▲ 42×1 topic
  33. Indoor Air Pollution1▲ 42×1 topic
  34. Land Use1▲ 53×1 topic
  35. Passivation1▲ 172×1 topic
  36. Silicon1▲ 82×1 topic
  37. Dielectric Properties1▲ 27×3 topics

Which research topics does First Solar (United States) publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films, Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties, Perovskite Materials and Applications and solar cell performance optimization.

Chalcogenide Semiconduct…10Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films: 10 fractional worksQuantum Dots Synthesis A…6Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties: 6 fractional worksPerovskite Materials and Applications: 3 fractional workssolar cell performance optimization: 3 fractional worksAdvanced Semiconductor D…2Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials: 2 fractional worksPhotovoltaic Systems and Sustainability: 1 fractional worksSilicon and Solar Cell Technologies: 1 fractional worksEnergy and Environment Impacts: 1 fractional worksSemiconductor materials and interfaces: 1 fractional worksPhotovoltaic System Optimization Techniques: 1 fractional works
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringMaterials ChemistryEnvironmental EngineeringPollution2 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films Electrical and Electronic Engineering 10 works
  2. 2 Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties Materials Chemistry 6 works
  3. 3 Perovskite Materials and Applications Electrical and Electronic Engineering 3 works
  4. 4 solar cell performance optimization Electrical and Electronic Engineering 3 works
  5. 5 Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2 works
  6. 6 Photovoltaic Systems and Sustainability Environmental Engineering 1 works
  7. 7 Silicon and Solar Cell Technologies Electrical and Electronic Engineering 1 works
  8. 8 Energy and Environment Impacts Pollution 1 works
  9. 9 Semiconductor materials and interfaces Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics 1 works
  10. 10 Photovoltaic System Optimization Techniques Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 1 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available23.2%not open76.8%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors12.0%domestic only88.0%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has First Solar (United States)'s research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 2% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting20052010201520202025
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is First Solar (United States) as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00020% in 2024.

still counting0.00020%0.00040%0.00060%First Solar (United States)0.00015% in 202520102020

Fractional works of First Solar (United States) over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

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First Solar (United States) on Science Explorer

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