Surface probe for determining physical properties of a semiconductor device

A probe comprising:

• a substrate divided lengthwise into a first section and a second section, the first section being doped with an n-type material, the second section being doped with a p-type material;
• a first cantilever electrically coupled to the first section of the substrate;
• a first probe tip electrically coupled to the first cantilever and configured and arranged for contact with a surface;
• a second cantilever electrically coupled to the second section of the substrate;
• and
• a second probe tip electrically coupled to the second cantilever and configured and arranged for contact with a surface.

A device for determining a characteristic of an object, the device comprising:

• a probe including
• a substrate having a first section and a second section, the first section being doped with a p-type material and the second section being doped with an n-type material,
• a plurality of cantilevers each having a distal end coupled to the substrate, and
• a plurality of probe tips each coupled to a proximal end of a respective one of the cantilevers for contacting a surface of the object;
• and
• a measurement apparatus configured and arranged to determine the characteristic of the object using the probe tips.

A method of determining a surface resistivity of a layer of a semiconductor device, comprising:

• contacting a surface of the semiconductor device with two probe tips coupled to a substrate via a cantilever;
• measuring a resistance between two of the probe tips;
• and
• determining a surface resistivity from the resistance.