Patent ID: 7405087

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a magnetic memory device, comprising: forming a contact in a first insulating film; sequentially forming a metal layer, a magnetoresistive film, and first and second mask layers on the first insulating film and the contact; patterning the second mask layer into an element shape of a magnetoresistive element; patterning the first mask layer into the element shape by using the patterned second mask layer; removing the patterned second mask layer; patterning the magnetoresistive film into the element shape by using the patterned first mask layer to form the magnetoresistive element; forming a resist on the first mask layer and the metal layer; patterning the resist to expose a first portion of the upper surface of the first mask layer and to cover a second portion of the upper surface of the first mask layer; patterning the metal layer using the patterned resist into a separation shape that separates cells and making a side surface of the metal layer partially coincide with a side surface of the magnetoresistive element opposite to the contact; and removing the patterned resist.