A method and structure is disclosed for detaching a chip from a substrate that delays the delivery of shear force to the chip until the connectors attaching the chip to the substrate are soft enough that the delivery of shear force will not damage the chip's connectors. More particularly, the shear force is created by a bimetallic disk that, when heat is applied, is transformed into shearing force. The shearing force is delayed by a delaying device until the connectors connecting the chip to the substrate are soft enough that the application of shear force will separate the chip from the substrate without damaging the chip's connectors. The delaying device includes a physical gap that may be adjusted to control when the shear force is applied to the chip.