Patent attributes
An SiC wafer is produced from a single crystal SiC ingot by a method that includes forming a plurality of breakable layers constituting a separation surface in the SiC ingot, each breakable layer including a modified layer and cracks extending from the modified layer along a c-plane, and separating part of the SiC ingot along the separation surface as an interface to thereby produce the SiC wafer. In forming the separation surface, the energy density of a pulsed laser beam is set to an energy density not causing the formation of an upper damage layer above the breakable layer previously formed due to the reflection of the pulsed laser beam from the breakable layer and not causing the formation of a lower damage layer below the breakable layer previously formed due to the transmission of the pulsed laser beam through the breakable layer.