When a substrate layer (desired semiconductor crystal) made of a group III nitride compound is grown on a base substrate comprising a lot of projection parts, a cavity in which a semiconductor crystal is not deposited may be formed between each projection part although it depends on conditions such as the size of each projection part, arranging interval between each projection part and crystal growth. So when the thickness of the substrate layer is sufficiently larger compared with the height of the projection part, inner stress or outer stress become easier to act intensively to the projection part. As a result, such stress especially functions as shearing stress toward the projection part. When the shearing stress becomes larger, the projection part is ruptured. So utilizing the shearing stress enables to separate the base substrate and the substrate layer easily. The larger the cavities are formed, the more stress tends to concentrate to the projection parts, to thereby enable to separate the base substrate and the substrate layer more securely.