The proper orthogonal decomposition(POD) is used to the vibration analysis of microcantilever in tapping mode atomic force microscopy(AFM). The proper orthogonal modes (POM) are extracted from vibrating signals of microcantilever when it resonates and taps the sample. We present recent ideas based on POD and detailed experiments that yield new perspectives into the microscale structures such as the tapping cantilever. The linearized modeling technique based on POD is very useful to show the principal characteristics of the complex dynamic responses of the AFM microcantilever.