A multilayered stack including alternating layers of sacrificial material layers and semiconductor material layers is formed on a base substrate. The thickness of each sacrificial material layer of the stack increases upwards from the sacrificial material layer that is formed nearest to the base substrate. Because of this difference in thicknesses, each sacrificial material layer etches at different rates, with thicker sacrificial material layers etching faster than thinner sacrificial material layers. An etch is performed that first removes the thickest sacrificial material layer of the multilayered stack. The uppermost semiconductor device layer within the multilayered stack is accordingly first released. As the etch continues, the other sacrificial material layers are removed sequentially, in the order of decreasing thickness, and the other semiconductor device layers are removed sequentially.