Quantum key device

1. A quantum key device comprising:

a quantum detector unit comprising one or more quantum signal detectors that detect a quantum signal; and

a plurality of logic units operably connected to the quantum detector unit, wherein

an output of the quantum detector unit comprises, for each photon detected in the quantum signal, a measurement basis applied by the quantum detector unit and resulting data value, and

each of the logic units derives a separate quantum key for each of a plurality of users from the output of the quantum detector units, wherein each logic unit is connected to a classical communication device for communicating with a transmitter device that transmitted the quantum signal.

2. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quantum key device is arranged so that no signals pass from the logic units to the quantum detector unit but can pass from the quantum detector unit to the logic units.

3. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least part of the path from the quantum detector unit to the logic units is optical.

4. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the logic units are shielded from one another to prevent any emissions or cross talk between the logic units.

5. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the logic units are one of:

physically separate units; and

implemented as separate logical processors within the same processor chip or chip set.

6. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quantum detector unit comprises a controller for performing at least one of clock timing, synchronisation and calibration.

7. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each logic unit receives only part of the output of the quantum detector unit.

8. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each logic unit receives all of the output of the quantum detector unit.

9. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a switch which switches the output of the quantum detector unit between the logic units.

10. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the output of the quantum detector unit is passed to each logic unit and each logic unit is arranged to use only part of the output in performing key agreement.

11. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 10 wherein each logic unit uses a different part of the output of the quantum detector unit.

12. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a separate crypto-unit associated with each logic unit.

13. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a separate classical channel for said each of plurality of users.

14. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the logic unit is adapted to, in use, obtain the identity key of a current user of said plurality of users connected to the relevant logic unit.

15. The quantum key device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the logic unit is arranged to perform authentication with a user.

16. A quantum detector unit for detecting a quantum signal being arranged to comprising one or more quantum signal detectors which detect a quantum signal, wherein the quantum detector unit produces an output comprising, for each photon detected in the quantum signal, the measurement basis applied by the quantum detector unit and resulting data value, and wherein the quantum detector unit directs the output to at least one logic unit and the at least one logic unit derives a separate quantum key for each of a plurality of users from the output of the quantum detector unit, wherein the at least one logic unit is connected to a classical communication device for communicating with a transmitter device that transmitted the quantum signal.

17. The quantum detector unit as claimed in claim 16 further comprising the at least one logic unit operably connected to a plurality of logically separate crypto-units wherein said logic unit is arranged to derive a separate quantum key for each of said crypto-units.