Workpiece-separating device and workpiece-separating method

A workpiece-separating method of peeling a supporting body from a workpiece including a circuit substrate by denaturing a separating layer via light irradiation of a laminated body, the laminated body including the workpiece and the supporting body laminated together with the separating layer interposed between the workpiece and the supporting body, the workpiece-separating method comprising:

• holding one of the workpiece or the supporting body with a holding member in a detachable manner;
• and
• performing the light irradiation from a light irradiation part on the separating layer through the other of the supporting body or the workpiece of the laminated body held by the holding member, wherein
• the holding member includes
• a stage facing one of the workpiece or the supporting body of the laminated body,
• a fixed supporting part projecting from the stage toward the laminated body and including, on an end portion, a still suction pad immovable in a projection direction, and
• a movable supporting part projecting from the stage toward the laminated body and including, on an end portion, a response suction pad that is movable in a projection direction and elastically deformable,
• a plurality of the fixed supporting parts and a plurality of the movable supporting parts in combination are disposed in a dispersed manner,
• the plurality of response suction pads are disposed so as to be able to project toward the laminated body further than the plurality of still suction pads, and
• in the holding one of the workpiece or the supporting body, as the laminated body experiences deflection deformation due to its own weight, the response suction pad moves in the projection direction and elastically presses against one of the workpiece or the supporting body.