diff --git a/deepxde/nn/tensorflow_compat_v1/deeponet.py b/deepxde/nn/tensorflow_compat_v1/deeponet.py
index 2eeb4db4c..aba79dc11 100644
--- a/deepxde/nn/tensorflow_compat_v1/deeponet.py
+++ b/deepxde/nn/tensorflow_compat_v1/deeponet.py
@@ -321,54 +321,48 @@ def build_branch_net(self):
         y_func = self.X_func
         if callable(self.layer_size_func[1]):
             # User-defined network
-            y_func = self.layer_size_func[1](y_func)
-        elif self.stacked:
-            # Stacked fully connected network
-            stack_size = self.layer_size_func[-1]
-            for i in range(1, len(self.layer_size_func) - 1):
-                y_func = self._stacked_dense(
-                    y_func,
-                    self.layer_size_func[i],
-                    stack_size,
-                    activation=self.activation_branch,
+            return self.layer_size_func[1](y_func)
+
+        def _add_branch_layer(
+            inputs, units, stack_size=None, activation=None, use_bias=True
+        ):
+            if stack_size is None:
+                return self._dense(
+                    inputs,
+                    units,
+                    activation=activation,
+                    regularizer=self.regularizer,
                     trainable=self.trainable_branch,
+                    use_bias=use_bias,
                 )
-                if self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1] > 0:
-                    y_func = tf.layers.dropout(
-                        y_func,
-                        rate=self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1],
-                        training=self.training,
-                    )
-            y_func = self._stacked_dense(
-                y_func,
-                1,
+            return self._stacked_dense(
+                inputs,
+                units,
                 stack_size,
-                use_bias=self.use_bias,
+                activation=activation,
                 trainable=self.trainable_branch,
+                use_bias=use_bias,
             )
-        else:
-            # Unstacked fully connected network
-            for i in range(1, len(self.layer_size_func) - 1):
-                y_func = self._dense(
-                    y_func,
-                    self.layer_size_func[i],
-                    activation=self.activation_branch,
-                    regularizer=self.regularizer,
-                    trainable=self.trainable_branch,
-                )
-                if self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1] > 0:
-                    y_func = tf.layers.dropout(
-                        y_func,
-                        rate=self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1],
-                        training=self.training,
-                    )
-            y_func = self._dense(
+
+        for i in range(1, len(self.layer_size_func) - 1):
+            y_func = _add_branch_layer(
                 y_func,
-                self.layer_size_func[-1],
-                use_bias=self.use_bias,
-                regularizer=self.regularizer,
-                trainable=self.trainable_branch,
+                self.layer_size_func[i],
+                self.layer_size_func[-1] if self.stacked else None,
+                activation=self.activation_branch,
             )
+            if self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1] > 0:
+                y_func = tf.layers.dropout(
+                    y_func,
+                    rate=self.dropout_rate_branch[i - 1],
+                    training=self.training,
+                )
+        y_func = _add_branch_layer(
+            y_func,
+            1 if self.stacked else self.layer_size_func[-1],
+            self.layer_size_func[-1] if self.stacked else None,
+            use_bias=self.use_bias,
+        )
         return y_func
 
     def build_trunk_net(self):