How to Choose a Lab Spin Coater: Speed, Acceleration, Substrate Size and Glovebox Fit

Choosing a spin coater for lab work is mostly a matter of matching published limits to the work you actually do: the speeds and ramps in your recipes, the size and shape of your substrates, where the instrument will stand, and how many people and inks will share it. This guide explains what each specification does and does not tell you, and compares the published values of the Levon™ spin coater range side by side, with “not stated” wherever a page is silent.

In one paragraph: start from the substrate, because the largest wafer or the smallest fragment you must hold removes more models than any other factor. Then check that the speed and acceleration ranges cover your recipes with some margin, remembering that a published maximum is a hardware limit, not a process result, and that several pages quote it with no substrate fitted (“no load”). Decide early whether the coater must work inside a glovebox and whether the substrate must be heated while it spins, because only some pages state either. Finally, match program memory, timing resolution and dispensing or edge options to the number of users and steps you expect.

1.  The short answer: five questions that narrow the choice

Five questions, answered in order, remove most candidates before top speed becomes the deciding factor:

1. What is the largest and the smallest substrate you must coat, and what shape is it? Round wafers, square glass, small fragments and heavy plates make different demands on the chuck and the bowl.
2. Must the coater work inside a glovebox? If so, check what the page states and whether the dimensions fit.
3. Must the substrate be heated while it spins? That needs a heated spin table, not a separate hot plate.
4. Which speeds, ramps and step times do your recipes need?
5. How many users, inks and recipes will share it, and do you need automated dispensing or edge and backside cleaning?

The published values are collected in two selection tables. If you are still deciding whether spin coating is the right method at all, the pillar guide to solution-processed thin films compares spin, dip, slot-die and blade coating and includes an interactive method selector.

2.  Speed range and resolution: what the numbers tell you

Final spin speed is the main recipe lever for film thickness. In the classic thin-film models, a Newtonian liquid thins by radial outflow, and once solvent evaporation is included the final dry thickness falls roughly with the inverse square root of the spin speed, h ∝ ω^−1/2, for a given ink and atmosphere [1][2][3][4]. Real inks deviate from this exponent, so a measured spin curve is more reliable than the formula. The physics is summarized in Spin Coating Explained: Stages, Physics and Film Thickness.

The square-root law has a practical consequence for selection. Illustrative calculation, ideal exponent assumed: going from 1,000 to 4,000 rpm halves the thickness, and going from 1,000 to 9,000 rpm cuts it to about one third. A wider speed range therefore buys a wider thickness window from one ink, but only by a square-root factor. When you need a film several times thinner or thicker, changing the solution concentration is usually more effective than buying more speed.

Read the top speed as a hardware limit

Several Levon™ pages mark their maximum speed “no load”. That is a limit of the motor and drive with no substrate fitted, not a guaranteed process speed and not a minimum thickness. A large or heavy substrate, a large chuck or tray, or an unbalanced fragment can reduce the speed you can safely run, and the product page disclaimers ask users never to exceed the rated speed of the instrument or of the fitted chuck. Choose a range whose upper end sits above your highest recipe speed rather than exactly at it.

Do not forget the low end

The lowest settable speed matters for spread steps, thick films and large substrates: 100 rpm on the EZ4-S, EZ6-S, IC5000-S and IC8000-S pages, and 20 rpm on the AC200-S-PP and AC200-SE pages. Other pages state only a maximum.

Speed resolution

Speed resolution is the smallest step in which a speed can be set. It does not say how accurately or steadily the motor holds that speed. Most pages list a resolution of 1 rpm. The AC200-SE-PLUS, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages list ±1 rpm in the same row. A ± value reads more like a speed tolerance than a setting step: the AC200-SE and AC200-PE list both a 1 rpm resolution and a speed accuracy of <±1 rpm. Confirm what the value means for those three models. Illustrative calculation, ideal exponent assumed: a 1 rpm change at 3,000 rpm changes the thickness by less than 0.02%. Setting resolution is therefore rarely the limit; thickness repeatability depends far more on speed stability, the ink, the dispense and the atmosphere.

3.  Acceleration and ramps

Acceleration, in rpm per second, sets how quickly the substrate reaches each new speed. With a constant acceleration a, the ramp from rest to a speed ω takes t = ω / a. Illustrative calculation: a ramp to 3,000 rpm takes 3 s at 1,000 rpm/s and 0.3 s at 10,000 rpm/s.

The ramp mainly affects how the liquid spreads and whether it covers the whole surface. For photoresists on smooth substrates, one application note reports that a fast ramp towards the final speed, above about 1000 rpm/s, suppresses uncoated areas, while a short low-speed spread step helps on textured surfaces [5]. The final speed and time usually matter more for thickness. A dedicated article, Spin Coating Acceleration and Multi-Step Recipes: What the Ramp Actually Does, covers ramp design in detail.

For selection, check both ends of the published acceleration range. The upper end matters for steep coverage ramps and short steps; the lower end matters for gentle starts with securely mounted large or heavy substrates. The published maximums span a wide range, from 1,000 rpm/s (no load) on the AC300-S-EN page to 50,000 rpm/s on the AC200-S-PP, AC200-SE and AC200-PE pages. As with speed, the ramp achieved with a real chuck and substrate can be lower than a no-load figure.

4.  Substrate size, chucks and vacuum

The substrate filter has three parts: the largest substrate, the smallest piece and the shape. Published statements fall into four groups:

• Up to 4-inch round. The EZ4-S page gives a maximum recommended spin coating diameter of 4-inch round substrates, with standard vacuum chucks of 10 mm, 25 mm and 2-inch.
• Chucks listed, maximum not stated. The EZ6-S and AC100-S pages list 10 mm, 25 mm and 2-inch chucks but do not state a maximum substrate size. The EZ6-S page publishes uniformity data for 4-inch and 6-inch wafers.
• Fragments to 8-inch. The four AC200 configurations handle fragments to 8-inch wafers; the exact wording differs by configuration. The AC200-PE is the only configuration with standard vacuum trays up to 6-inch.
• Fragments to 12-inch. The AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages state fragments smaller than 1 cm to standard wafers up to 12 inches (300 mm), with custom solutions for larger or heavy-duty substrates.

The heated models are described separately: the IC5000-S uses an adjustable jaw chuck stage for 10–35 mm square or circular substrates, and the IC8000-S page lists glass fragments and substrates and 6-inch glass or semiconductor wafers.

Shape, thickness and weight

Size limits usually refer to round wafers. Square glass, rectangles and fragments behave differently: corners travel on a larger radius, and a small piece may overhang or underhang a round chuck. A dedicated article, Spin Coating Small, Square and Fragment Substrates: Chucks, Vacuum and Corners, covers these substrates. None of the Levon™ spin coater pages state a substrate thickness limit, so thick, heavy or very thin substrates should be described in the quote request.

Vacuum supply

Vacuum chucks need a vacuum source. The AC100-S, AC200-SE-PLUS, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages state a vacuum input of 0.06–0.09 MPa with a minimum flow rate above 15 L/min, and the AC200-S-PP page states a minimum vacuum flow rate of 15 L/min or more. The other pages do not state a vacuum requirement; every page notes that external utilities, where required, are supplied by the user.

5.  Glovebox fit and footprint

Air- and moisture-sensitive inks, such as many perovskite precursors and organic semiconductors, are often coated in an inert-gas glovebox. That makes glovebox fit a hard filter for many labs. On the Levon™ spin coater pages, only two statements cover it:

• The EZ4-S / EZ4-S-PP page describes a compact, glovebox-compatible design (EZ4-S 210 × 285 × 220 mm; EZ4-S-PP 215 × 285 × 222 mm, W × D × H).
• The AC200 page states that all four configurations can be recessed into a glovebox to reduce the operating height.

The EZ6-S, AC100-S, AC300-S-CTM, AC300-S-EN, IC5000-S and IC8000-S pages do not state glovebox use. That does not mean they cannot be used in one, only that it must be confirmed. The IC8000-S is built as a separate spin chamber and control box, which changes how it would be arranged in any enclosure.

Before choosing, measure the antechamber opening and length, the working height and lid clearance inside the box, and the feedthroughs for power, vacuum and any dispensing lines. Spin coating also releases solvent vapor, so check how your purifier and solvent trap handle it. Published dimensions of every model are in Table B.

6.  Recipe control and timing

A spin recipe is a sequence of steps, each with a target speed, a ramp and a time. A typical program has spread, thinning and sometimes drying or edge steps. Published program memories range from 5 programs × 5 steps on the EZ4-S to 100 recipes with up to 100 steps on the AC100-S, AC200 configurations that state a count, and the IC5000-S and IC8000-S. The AC200-SE-PLUS, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages do not state a program count.

Program memory matters most when several users or inks share one coater. Timing matters for short spread steps: every page lists a maximum step or spin time of 3,000 s, set in 0.1 s increments on most models and 1 s on the EZ4-S. Control interfaces also differ, from an LCD text display with a membrane keypad on the EZ4-S to 7-inch touchscreens on the EZ6-S, AC200 and AC300 pages. The AC100-S page lists a real-time parameter display with traceable process steps.

7.  Dispensing, edge options and chamber materials

Most lab spin coating uses a pipette or syringe, before the spin starts (static dispense) or onto the spinning substrate (dynamic dispense). A dedicated article, Static vs Dynamic Dispense in Spin Coating: Volume, Coverage and Material Waste, compares the two methods. Automated dispensing helps when a recipe runs many times, when the dispense must be timed within a step, or inside a glovebox. Published options:

• Integrated dispensing ports. The AC200-S-PP, AC200-SE and AC200-PE pages list integrated four-channel automatic dispensing ports, upgradeable to multi-channel.
• Dispensing upgrade. The EZ6-S page lists an upgradeable single-channel precision metering dispensing system, and the IC5000-S and IC8000-S pages a precise metering automatic dispensing function.
• Edge and backside. The AC200-S-PP page lists integrated backside cleaning and edge debonding. On the AC200-SE, AC200-PE, AC200-SE-PLUS, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages, backside rinse (BSR) and edge bead removal (EBR) can be added. An edge bead, a raised rim of film, forms especially with thick films and square substrates [5]; defects are covered in Spin Coating Defects: Comets, Striations, Pinholes and Edge Beads Diagnosed.

Dispensing is not stated on the EZ4-S, AC100-S, AC200-SE-PLUS, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN pages.

Chamber and housing materials

The pages list a PP housing (EZ4-S-PP, AC200-S-PP), HDPE process chambers or cups (AC200-SE, AC200-PE, AC200-SE-PLUS, IC5000-S, IC8000-S), a PTFE-coated stainless steel chamber (AC300-S-CTM) and a stainless steel housing (AC300-S-EN; confirm the inner-cavity construction). Compatibility with a particular solvent or resist cannot be inferred from the material name alone; confirm it for aggressive chemistries.

8.  When you need a heated spin table

Substrate temperature changes solvent evaporation and viscosity during spinning, and so it changes the thickness and the drying of the film [3]. Some processes, for example certain perovskite and polymer films, are coated on a warm substrate for that reason. A heated spin table controls table temperature; substrate and film temperatures may differ.

Two Levon™ models publish a heated spin table. The IC5000-S heats from RT to 150 °C, spins at 100–5,000 rpm and holds 10–35 mm square or circular substrates. The IC8000-S heats from RT to 200 °C, spins at 100–8,000 rpm and takes glass fragments and substrates and 6-inch glass or semiconductor wafers. Both pages state a temperature control accuracy of ≤±0.5 °C after stabilization and a spin table temperature uniformity of ≤±2%. Neither page states a numeric value for RT or any cooling. A dedicated article, Heated Spin Coating: How Substrate Temperature Changes Evaporation and Thickness, covers heated spin coating.

9.  Selection tables: published specifications

The two tables compare the Levon™ spin coater pages. Values belong to the model or configuration named, follow the pages’ own wording, and are not interchangeable. “Not stated” means the page does not give the value; it does not mean the feature is absent.

Table A: speed, acceleration and recipe control

Table B: substrates, glovebox, footprint and options

Values from the Levon™ product pages as listed on 22 October 2026. “No load” values are hardware limits, not process results. Heating is published only for the IC5000-S (spin table RT to 150 °C) and IC8000-S (RT to 200 °C). No page states a substrate thickness limit. Final configurations are confirmed at quotation; the full range is on the Levon™ spin coaters page.

10.  Matching common lab situations

These shortlists follow from the tables. They are starting points, not recommendations for a specific process.

• Small pieces and wafers up to 4-inch, inside a glovebox. The EZ4-S / EZ4-S-PP is the only compact model whose page states a glovebox-compatible design. The AC200 configurations can be recessed into a glovebox if you need more programs, faster ramps or larger wafers.
• Benchtop work in air, programmable recipes and steep ramps. The EZ6-S (10 programs × 10 steps, 100–30,000 rpm/s) and the AC100-S (100 recipes, max. 30,000 rpm/s) cover this. Neither page states a maximum substrate size; confirm your substrate and chuck combination.
• Wafers up to 8-inch, automated dispensing or edge cleaning. The AC200 family; compare the four configurations for speed, trays, dispensing and options.
• Wafers up to 12-inch or heavy substrates. The AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN. They share the substrate range and speed but differ in maximum acceleration (10,000 versus 1,000 rpm/s, no load).
• Substrate heated during spinning. The IC5000-S for 10–35 mm pieces with table heating to 150 °C, or the IC8000-S for 6-inch wafers with table heating to 200 °C.

Some combinations are not covered by any single page: for example, a 6-inch wafer heated during spinning inside a glovebox. The IC8000-S covers the size and the heating, but its page does not state glovebox use. In such cases, list all requirements in one request so they can be checked together.

11.  Checklist before you request a quote

• Substrates: material, shape, largest and smallest size, thickness and weight, and whether they are textured or fragile.
• Recipes: lowest and highest speed, steepest and gentlest ramp, longest and shortest step, and number of steps per recipe.
• Users and recipes: how many people and inks share the coater, and how many recipes must be stored.
• Environment: air or glovebox, antechamber size, working height, exhaust and solvent handling.
• Utilities: mains voltage, vacuum source and flow, and any nitrogen supply.
• Options: automatic dispensing, edge bead removal, backside rinse and heated spin table.
• Chemistry: solvents and resists you will use, especially aggressive ones.
• Measurement: how you will check thickness and uniformity after installation.

Send this information through the contact form or the Get Quote request on the product page.

12.  Keep Exploring the Spin Coating Knowledge Hub

This guide is the equipment hub of the spin coating section of the ACS Material thin-film library.

Start here

• Spin Coating Explained: Stages, Physics and Film Thickness — the four stages of spin coating, the thickness models and the main defects.
• Solution-Processed Thin Films: Choosing Spin, Dip, Slot-Die or Blade Coating — when spin coating is the right method, with the interactive coating method selector.

Spin coating process guides

• Spin Speed vs Film Thickness: How to Build and Use a Spin Curve — turning a few measured points into a speed–thickness curve.
• Spin Coating Acceleration and Multi-Step Recipes: What the Ramp Actually Does — what the ramp does to spreading, coverage and thickness.
• Static vs Dynamic Dispense in Spin Coating: Volume, Coverage and Material Waste — dispense methods, volume and material waste.
• Spin Coating Defects: Comets, Striations, Pinholes and Edge Beads Diagnosed — causes and fixes for common film defects.
• Spin Coating Small, Square and Fragment Substrates: Chucks, Vacuum and Corners — chucks, vacuum and corner effects.
• Heated Spin Coating: How Substrate Temperature Changes Evaporation and Thickness — how substrate temperature changes evaporation and thickness.

Spin coating equipment

• Levon™ spin coaters — compact, programmable, servo and heated spin coaters.
• EZ4-S compact spin coater, EZ6-S benchtop spin coater and AC100-S programmable spin coater — compact and benchtop coaters for small pieces and wafers.
• AC200 programmable servo spin coater, AC300-S-CTM and AC300-S-EN servo spin coaters — servo-driven coaters for wafers up to 8 and 12 inches.
• IC5000-S and IC8000-S heated spin coaters — programmable recipes with a heated spin table.

13.  FAQ

14.  References