A method for manufacturing a peeled substrate has a laser condensing step for focusing laser light at a prescribed depth from the surface of a substrate and a positioning step for moving and positioning a laser condenser relative to the substrate, the method involving forming a processed layer in the substrate. The laser condensing step includes a laser light adjustment step in which a diffraction optical element is used to branch the laser light into a plurality of branched laser beams, and at least one of the branched laser beams is branched such that the intensity thereof differs from the other branched laser beams. The processed layer is elongated using the branched laser beam having a relatively high intensity among the plurality of branched laser beams to process the substrate, and the elongation of the processed layer is restrained using the branched laser beams having a relatively low intensity.