A technique for wave-mixing frequency translation is disclosed. In one
particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a
general construction for multi-log wave-mixing unicast or multicast
cross-connects, with b.times.b space-switching elements, where b.gtoreq.2.
The resulting cross-connects support all-optical frequency-conversion, and
they exploit multi-stage wave-mixing bulk frequency-translation In these
cross-connects, for any light-path the worst case number of cascaded
frequency-conversions is O(log.sub.b W), where W is the number of
wavelengths per fiber. The wavelength-converter requirements are of
between O(F) and O(F log.sub.b W), per stage and per plane, where F is the
number of fibers.
