Patent ID: 7881614

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first component of a processor based system, the first component comprising: a processor; and a first optical interface to transmit data encoded as an optical signal to a second optical interface of a second component of the processor based system and to receive data encoded as an optical signal from the second optical interface of the second component, the second component comprising one or more of a docking station and a port replicator, wherein the first optical interface includes an optical socket integrated into the first component to mate with an optical plug included in a mating surface of the second component and wherein when the optical plug is mated to the optical socket the first optical interface is optically aligned with the second optical interface to communicate optically through air without an intervening optical fiber to allow data communication between the first and second components, and wherein the optical plug and optical socket are implemented as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) plastic optical link (VPOL) plug and socket formed by a molded lead frame, wherein the molded lead frame includes a metal lead frame and a molded precision plastic component comprising an integrated circuit containing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL).