The precision machining of hard and brittle materials has always been a research frontier and difficult problem in the industry. In this paper, it is verified theoretically and experimentally that 46.9nm soft X-ray laser can produce regular microcrack arrays on the surface of hard and brittle materials. Taking BaF2 and SiO2 materials as examples, based on the multiphysical field coupling numerical simulation method, the evolution process of temperature and stress, as well as the results of maximum stress section and strain are obtained, which can be used to predict the damage of hard and brittle materials processed by laser thermal cracking. The simulation results show that the maximum stress and strain of BaF2 have exceeded the strength limit, while the maximum stress and strain of SiO2 are less than the strength limit. The experiment shows the same result, that is, BaF2 has fracture failure while SiO2 has no fracture failure. The simulation and experimental results are the same, showing that the 46.9nm soft X-ray laser can be used for precision thermal cracking of hard and brittle materials.