Robust digital control approach for high performance tunneling current measurement system

This paper is devoted to the digital control system design for high performance measurement of tunneling current. A common approach for such applications is to use a conventional Proportional Integral (PI) control. In this paper, a robust digital design method is instead considered, based on combined pole placement with sensitivity function shaping, and allowing for better performance tuning in terms of precision, robustness and disturbance rejection. The resulting control scheme looks like some enhanced PID controller, and is validated over an experimental setup, developed in GIPSA-lab (Grenoble Image Parole Signal Automatique) research center. The corresponding simulation and experimental results show improved performances with respect to those obtained with the more conventional PI control technique.