Noncontact atomic force microscopy: Stability criterion and dynamical responses of the shift of frequency and damping signal

The working of the noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) was described. The shift of frequency and the damping signal, under steady state conditions, were deduced from the equations of motion of the oscillating tip-cantilever system (OTCS). Theoretical results were compared with those given by a virtual NC-AFM machine made of a set of nonlinear differential equations solved numerically without any approximation.