A method includes forming a stacked nanosheet structure on a semiconductor substrate. The stacked nanosheet structure includes a plurality of alternating sacrificial nanosheets and channel nanosheets. The method further includes forming a dummy gate structure about the stacked nanosheet structure. The method also includes removing outer surface regions of the sacrificial nanosheets to define an at least partial recess at each outer surface region and forming an inner spacer within each of the at least partial recesses. The method also includes forming an isolation layer adjacent at least outer surface regions of at least the channel nanosheets. The method further includes forming a source region and a drain region about the stacked nanosheet structure. The method also includes removing the sacrificial nanosheets through an etching process whereby the isolation layer and the inner spacers isolates the source and drain regions from the etching process.