Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of characterizing a dielectric surface by detecting tunneling events, the method comprising acts of:applying a first voltage at a given location on the dielectric surface, the voltage being of a sufficient strength, and applied within a distance from the dielectric surface where tunneling events are likely to occur; anddetecting a tunneling event occurring as a result of applying the first voltage at the given location on the dielectric surface. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of claim 1 are performed by:measuring the surface electric potential at the given location on the dielectric surface to obtain a first measurement;applying a first voltage at the given location on the dielectric surface;measuring the surface electrical potential again at the given location after applying the voltage at the given location to obtain a second measurement; anddetermining if a tunneling event has occurred by comparing the first measurement to the second measurement. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:applying a second voltage at the given location on the dielectric surface, the second voltage being opposite in polarity to the first voltage;measuring the surface electrical potential again at the given location after applying the voltage at the given location to obtain a third measurement; anddetermining if a tunneling event has occurred by comparing the second measurement to the third measurement. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein:measuring the surface electric potential at a given location on the dielectric surface to obtain a first measurement comprises positioning an atomic force probe tip in a position that is out of tunneling range for the dielectric surface when using the atomic force probe tip to measure the electric surface potential at the given location on the dielectric surface;applying a first voltage at the given location on the dielectric surface comprises positioning the atomic force probe tip in a position that is in tunneling range for the dielectric surface when the atomic force probe is used to apply the first voltage; andmeasuring the surface electrical potential again at the given location after applying the voltage at the given location to obtain a second measurement comprises positioning the atomic force probe tip in a position that is out of tunneling range for the dielectric surface when using the atomic force probe tip to measure the electric surface potential again at the given location on the dielectric surface. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of claim 1 are performed by:mechanically oscillating an atomic force probe at a resonant frequency of the force probe;electrically modulating the atomic force probe with a DC signal;moving the atomic force probe towards the dielectric surface; andmeasuring the change in resonant frequency of the atomic force probe as the atomic force probe moves towards the dielectric surface. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of claim 1 are performed by:mechanically oscillating an atomic force probe at a resonant frequency of the force probe;electrically oscillating the atomic force probe at an applied frequency;measuring the change in resonant frequency of the atomic force probe as the atomic force probe is electrically oscillated at the applied frequency; andcomparing the change in resonant frequency of the force probe as the atomic force probe is electrically oscillated at the applied frequency to the applied frequency to detect differences between the change in resonant frequency of the force probe as the atomic force probe is electrically oscillated at the applied frequency to the applied frequency. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of claim 1 are performed by:mechanically oscillating an atomic force probe at a resonant frequency of the force probe;electrically modulating the atomic force probe;mechanically modulating the distance between the atomic force probe and the given point on the dielectric surface; andmeasuring the change in resonant frequency of the atomic force probe. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein:electrically modulating the atomic force probe is performed by applying an oscillating electrical signal at a first frequency; andmechanically modulating the distance between the atomic force probe is performed by varying the distance between the atomic force probe and the given point on the dielectric surface at a second frequency, wherein the second frequency is twice the first frequency and with a phase difference that allows the first frequency to have maximums and minimums at a minimum distance between the atomic force probe and the given point caused by the second frequency; andmeasuring the change in frequency of the atomic force probe comprises detecting changes in an FM modulation of the atomic force probe using a lock-in amplifier reference signal that is 90° out of phase from the first frequency. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of claim 1 are repeated in a plurality of locations to image electrical characteristics of the dielectric surface. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising imaging height characteristics of the dielectric surface prior to imaging the electrical characteristics of the dielectric surface such that the height characteristics of the dielectric surface can be used for probe positioning when performing imaging of the electrical characteristics of the dielectric surface. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein if a tunneling event is determined to have occurred, performing spectroscopy measurements to determine the energy of the states in the dielectric surface. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein performing a spectroscopy measurement is performed by ramping a voltage across an atomic force probe and the dielectric surface. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein AC spectroscopy is performed by detecting electrons shuttling back and forth as a function of the ramped voltage. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein DC spectroscopy is performed by detecting frequency shift as a function of the ramped voltage. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein performing a spectroscopy measurement is performed by varying the gap between an atomic force probe and the surface. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein AC spectroscopy is performed by detecting electrons shuttling back and forth as a function of gap height. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein DC spectroscopy is performed by detecting frequency shift as a function of gap height. 18. An apparatus for characterizing electrical properties of a dielectric surface, to detect locations on a dielectric surface where electron tunneling may occur, the apparatus comprising:an atomic force probe;a mechanical actuator coupled to the atomic force probe;a mechanical modulator coupled to the mechanical actuator, the mechanical modulator configured to modulate the mechanical actuator and the atomic force probe at the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe;an electrical modulator coupled to the atomic force probe;a feedback sensing circuit coupled to the mechanical modulator, the feedback circuit configured to detect movement of the atomic force probe and to provide information about the movement of the atomic force probe to the mechanical modulator to allow the mechanical modulator to modulate the mechanical actuator and the atomic force probe at the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe as the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe changes as a result of an electron tunneling between the atomic force probe and the dielectric surface; andan FM detector coupled to the feedback sensing circuit and configured to detect changes in the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a first lock in amplifier coupled to the FM detector and a reference signal derived from the electrical modulator, the lock in amplifier configured to detect changes in the FM detector output signal at the frequency of the reference signal when the electrical modulator is providing an AC signal. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a second lock in amplifier coupled to a reference signal that is 90° out of phase from the reference signal connected to the first lock in amplifier, wherein the first and second lock in amplifiers can be used to simultaneously detect tunneling events and to measure average surface potential. 21. A method of characterizing a dielectric surface by detecting tunneling events, the method comprising acts of:applying a first voltage through an atomic force probe at a given location on the dielectric surface, the voltage being of a sufficient strength, and applied within a distance from the dielectric surface where tunneling events are likely to occur;modulating the atomic force probe at the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe, anddetecting a tunneling event occurring as a result of applying the first voltage at the given location on the dielectric surface by detecting a shift in the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting a tunneling event comprises detecting a change in surface potential at the given location from before the tunneling event to after the tunneling event. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting a tunneling event comprises detecting the movement of a charge carrier from the atomic force probe to or from the dielectric surface. 24. A method of characterizing a dielectric surface by detecting electric surface potential of the surface, the method comprising acts of:positioning an atomic force probe near the dielectric surface;mechanically oscillating an atomic force probe at a resonant frequency of the force probe;electrically modulating the atomic force probe at an electrical modulation frequency; andmeasuring an FM modulation of the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe due to the surface potential of the dielectric surface resulting from an electron tunneling between the atomic force probe and the dielectric surface, the FM modulation of the resonant frequency of the atomic force probe being at the electrical modulation frequency. 25. The method of claim 24, performing the acts at a plurality of locations to create an image of the surface potentials of the dielectric surface.