Devices and methods are provided for positioning and/or rotating a substrate without solid contact, such as by floating the wafer on a thin layer of gas. Since there is no solid contact with components of a processing chamber, features on the wafer are used to determine wafer position and rotational speed. Closed loop control systems are provided with capacitive sensors to monitor the position of the edge of the wafer in a horizontal plane. Control systems may also monitor the position of a wafer feature as it rotates, such as a notch in the edge of the wafer. Because the presence of a notch can disrupt sensors facing the edge of the wafer, methods and devices to reduce or eliminate this disruption are also provided.
