  Tapping mode atomic force microscopy is a standard technique for inspection
and analysis at the nanometer scale. The understanding of the non-linear
dynamics of the system due to the tip sample interaction is an important
prerequisite for a correct interpretation data acquired by dynamic AFM. Here,
the system response in tapping-mode atomic force microscope (AFM) simulated
numerically. In the computer model the AFM microcantilever is treated as a
distributed parameter system. With this multiple-degree-of-freedom (MDOF)
approach the the total harmonic distortion in dynamic AFM spectroscopy is
simulated.
