Method to isolate device layer edges through mechanical spacing

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides an MRAM cell and a method of forming the same which minimizes the occurrence of electrical shorts during fabrication.
According to the present invention, a first conductor is provided in a trench in an insulating layer, and then an upper surface of the insulating layer and the first conductor are planarized.
Next, as the layers forming the stacks of the MRAM cells are deposited on the planarized insulating layer and first conductor, the critical layers are physically separated from adjacent layers at regions surrounding an interior region of the stacked layers.
The stacked layers at the interior region form an MRAM cell, while the separated edges prevent a conductive layer from being formed along the sidewalls of the MRAM cell due to sputtering during an etching process performed to define the cell.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.