  This work presents the design and construction of a test-stand for the Split
and Delay Line (SDL) at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) in
Hamburg, Germany. The advancements in Free Electron Laser technology have now
made it possible to investigate ultra-fast dynamics in materials science,
biology, chemistry, etc. In the SDL, an incident free electron laser pulse is
split into two parts by a beam splitter: one half travels along the upper
branch, and the other half travels along the lower branch. These two pulses can
either merge again in the collinear mode or travel along different optical
paths toward the sample in the inclined mode. This setup achieves a temporal
separation of a few femtoseconds between the X-ray pulse pairs, which is
crucial for ultra-fast X-ray pump-probe experiments investigating rapid
dynamics. This report provides detailed documentation of the mechanical and
electronic configuration of the test-stand, vacuum testing, the manufacturing
of supporting cables, and the challenges encountered during the project.
Finally, the SDL was successfully assembled and initially validated under
ultra-high vacuum (UHV) operating conditions.
