A method of making a magnetic random access memory device includes forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) on an electrode, the MTJ including a reference layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a free layer; disposing a hard mask on the MTJ; etching sidewalls of the hard mask and MTJ to form a stack with a first width and redeposit metal along the MTJ sidewall; depositing a sacrificial dielectric layer on the hard mask, surface of the electrode, exposed sidewall of the hard mask and the MTJ, and on redeposited metal along the sidewall of the MTJ; removing a portion of the sacrificial dielectric layer from sidewalls of the hard mask and MTJ and redeposited metal from the MTJ sidewalls; and removing a portion of a sidewall of the MTJ and hard mask to provide a second width to the stack; wherein the second width is less than the first width.