A lift-off method transfers an optical device layer in an optical device wafer to a transfer substrate. The optical device layer is formed on the front side of an epitaxy substrate through a buffer layer. A composite substrate is formed by bonding the transfer substrate through a bonding agent to the front side of the optical device layer, thereby forming a composite substrate. The buffer layer is broken up by applying a laser beam having a wavelength transmissive to the epitaxy substrate and absorptive to the buffer layer from the back side of the epitaxy substrate to the buffer layer after performing the composite substrate forming step, thereby breaking the buffer layer. An optical device layer is transferred by peeling off the epitaxy substrate from the optical device layer after performing the buffer layer breaking step, thereby transferring the optical device layer to the transfer substrate.