  Optical shuffle-exchange networks (SENs) have wide application in different
kinds of interconnection networks. This paper proposes an approach to construct
modular optical SENs, using a set of arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) and
tunable wavelength converters (TWCs). According to the wavelength routing
property of AWGs, we demonstrate for the first time that an AWG is functionally
equivalent to a classical shuffle network by nature. Based on this result, we
devise a systematic method to design a large-scale
wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) shuffle network using a set of
small-size AWGs associated with the same wavelength set. Combining the
AWG-based WDM shuffle networks and the TWCs with small conversion range, we
finally obtain an AWG-based WDM SEN, which not only is scalable in several
ways, but also can achieve 100% utilization when the input wavelength channels
are all busy. We also study the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) problem
of the AWG-based WDM SEN, and prove that the self-routing property and the
nonblocking routing conditions of classical SENs are preserved in such
AWG-based WDM SEN.
