Development and characterization of a differential interferometer setup using ultra-wideband SAW devices

We consider the problem of measuring short surface acoustic wave pulses directly in the time domain. The time-shearing differential optical interferometer setup described in this work is extremely sensitive and requires noise calibration. In order to test the accuracy of the response of the interferometer, different parameters of the experimental setup are varied. An input chirp is used to excite surface acoustic waves (SAW) in the device within a frequency range of 200 MHz - 400 MHz. The responses measured at the output IDT, directly and by using the interferometer setup, are compared and the change in amplitude for the two measurements are studied.