SCALEABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE MAGNETIC RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY CELL AND ARRAY

An MRAM array has groupings of MRAM cells that are interconnected by word control lines, bit lines, primary program control lines, and secondary program control lines. Each MRAM cell is comprised of a magnetic tunnel junction and a primary switching device connected between the magnetic tunnel junction and one of the primary program control lines to provide the write current through the pinned layer of the magnetic tunnel junction. In a first embodiment, the pinned ferromagnetic layer is connected directly to a segmented local program control line that eliminates parasitic currents during read or write of an MRAM cell. In a second embodiment, the MRAM cell includes a secondary switching device connected between the second side of the ferromagnetic layer the local program control line. The secondary program control lines are segmented to eliminate parasitic currents during a read or write of an MRAM cell.