Disclosed herein is an improved memory device, and related methods of manufacturing, wherein the area occupied by a conventional landing pad is significantly reduced to around 50% to 10% of the area occupied by conventional landing pads. This is accomplished by removing the landing pad from the cell structure, and instead forming a conductive via structure that provides the electrical connection from the memory stack or device in the structure to an under-metal layer. By forming only this via structure, rather than separate vias formed on either side of a landing pad, the overall width occupied by the connective via structure from the memory stack to an under-metal layer is substantially reduced, and thus the via structure and under-metal layer may be formed closer to the memory stack (or conductors associated with the stack) so as to reduce the overall width of the cell structure.