A method for separating bonded substrates and a respective apparatus used for that method is disclosed. The method comprises positioning the bonded substrates (1) in an evacuable chamber (2) by respective means, detaching a space (10) from that evacuable chamber by means of a sealing arrangement (4) so that said space comprises a partial area of the substrates with at least one gap (5) between the bonded substrates (1), lowering the pressure in the vacuum chamber (2) while maintaining the pressure in the space (10), thereby causing the bonded substrates to separate.