Method of fabricating a semiconductor device

A method of fabricating a miniaturized device so that it contains one or more MTJ elements, the method comprising:

• providing a substrate;
• forming on the substrate, one or more landing pads for the to-be-formed MTJ elements;
• depositing on the substrate having the one or more landing pads, a magnetic tunnel junction precursor layer having one or more ferromagnetic and/or anti-ferromagnetic sublayers;
• depositing on the magnetic tunnel junction precursor layer, a sacrificial dielectric layer;
• patterning the deposited sacrificial dielectric layer so as to form therein one or more patterned recesses, each aligning over a respective one of the one or more landing pads and each extending down to expose a corresponding part of the magnetic tunnel junction precursor layer;
• depositing into the recesses, one or more conductive materials that can function as an etch mask for a subsequent etching of the magnetic tunnel junction precursor layer;
• after the one or more conductive and etch mask forming materials are deposited in the recesses, selectively removing the sacrificial dielectric layer;
• and
• after the sacrificial dielectric layer is removed, patterning the magnetic tunnel junction precursor layer by etching it while the one or more conductive and etch mask forming materials function as an etch mask for the etching so as to thereby form the one or more magnetic tunnel junction elements.