US Patent 7700475 Pillar structure on bump pad

Substrates including conductive pads for coupling the substrates to a microelectronic device and/or package are described herein. Embodiments of the present invention provide substrates comprising one or more conductive pads including a base portion and a pillar portion, the pillar portion being configured to couple with a microelectronic device. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the substrate may be a printed circuit board and/or may be a carrier substrate incorporated into an electronic package. The pillar portion may facilitate interconnection between the substrate and a microelectronic device or package by effectively raising the height of the conductive pad. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.