Operating curves for optical bistable devices

A graphical method is described where-by the important steady state and dynamic responses of an optical bistable device can be viewed simultaneously. This results in a set of `operating curves¿¿ which indicate how well an optical bistable device satisfies the requirements to perform a particular logic function. The operating curves may be used to find the optimum conditions to perform a function and they also show how resilient this point is in the presence of fluctuations in operating conditions.