A lift-off method for transferring an optical device layer in an optical device wafer to a transfer substrate, the optical device layer being formed on the front side of an epitaxy substrate through a buffer layer. A transfer substrate is bonded through a bonding layer to the front side of the optical device layer of the optical device wafer, thereby forming a composite substrate. A pulsed laser beam having a wavelength transmissive to the epitaxy substrate and absorptive to the buffer layer is applied from the back side of the epitaxy substrate to the buffer layer, thereby breaking the buffer layer, and the epitaxy substrate is peeled from the optical device layer, thereby transferring the optical device layer to the transfer substrate. Ultrasonic vibration is applied to the composite substrate in transferring the optical device layer.