A semiconductor device is described. The semiconductor device includes a nanosheet stack including a sacrificial nanosheet oriented substantially parallelly to a substrate and a channel nanosheet disposed on the sacrificial nanosheet. The semiconductor device includes a gate formed in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the nanosheet stack, with a gate spacer positioned along a sidewall of the gate. The semiconductor device includes an inner spacer liner deposited around the nanosheet stack and the gate spacer. A first etching of the inner spacer liner is configured to produce an outer profile of the inner spacer liner, the outer profile having a substantially flat side section relative to an edge of the channel nanosheet. A second etching of the inner spacer liner is configured to remove substantially all material of the inner spacer liner from the edge of the channel nanosheet.