A probe tip attached to the front edge of the cantilever scans the surface of the sample material, keeping the distance around a few angstroms.

A cantilever, which is oscillated by an external force with a constant frequency, approaches a sample surface but does not contact with it. A frequency shift caused by an interaction between a tip and a sample is calculated.

A cantilever is oscillated by an external force with a constant frequency at a single point on the sample surface. A sequential motion of the tip is calculated; the tip contacts to a sample, pushes a sample, and detaches from a sample.