Abstract: Attachment structures for electrically coupling a microelectronic package to a microelectronic board/interposer including joint pads formed on the microelectronic board/interposer which provide a gap between respective openings in a solder resist layer of the microelectronic substrate and each of the joint pads. Such attachment structures may reduce or substantially eliminate contact between a solder interconnect and a solder resist layer of the microelectronic board/interposer, which may, in turn, reduce or substantially eliminate the potential of crack initiation and propagation at contact areas between the solder interconnect and a solder resist layer of the microelectronic board/interposer due to stresses induced by a mismatch of thermal expansion between the microelectronic package and the microelectronic board/interposer during thermal cycling.