New approaches of supersmooth surfaces diagnostics by using carbon nanoparticles

The paper offers a new approach associated with the use of luminescent carbon nanoparticles for the studies of super-smooth surfaces (Rq~4–5 nm). Fluorescent nanoparticles can serve as highly-sensitive probes of the object surface inhomogeneities, realizing a contactless version of the atomic-force profilometry. Using structured light for particles’ fluorescence excitation enables to resolve the fine structural units of the surface relief in the nanometer range. The use of nanoparticles as a probe makes it possible to circumvent the spatial-resolution limitations of optical systems dictated by the classical wave-optics concepts (Rayleigh limit).