Semiconductor and laser single crystals are usually brittle and hard, which need to be ground to have satisfactory surface integrity and dimensional precision prior to their applications. Improvement of the surface integrity of a ground crystal can shorten the time of a subsequent polishing process, thus reducing the manufacturing cost. The development of cost-effective grinding technologies for those crystals requires an in-depth understanding of their deformation and removal mechanisms. As a result, a great deal of research efforts were directed towards studying this topic in the past two or three decades. In this review, we aimed to summarize the deformation and removal characteristics of representative semiconductor and laser single crystals in accordance with the scale of mechanical loading, especially at extremely small scales. Their removal mechanisms were critically examined based on the evidence obtained from highresolution TEM analyses. The relationships between machining conditions and removal behaviors were discussed to provide a guidance for further advancing of the grinding technologies for those crystals.