STARNET-II-An optically-amplified direct-detection WDM computer communications network

STARNET-II is an experimental optically-amplified direct-detection WDM multi-Gb/s optical LAN. This letter describes STARNET-II design, optimization and full node implementation. A packet loss ratio of 3.9/spl middot/10/sup -8/ (recommended for multimedia applications) is demonstrated; the corresponding BER is 7.6/spl middot/10/sup -11/. Both power budget and channel spacing of STARNET-II support up to 80 nodes.