Experiment was performed to examine the plane polishing of SiC single crystal wafer by using the chemical magnetorheological finishing (CMRF) technique. The influence of some process parameters such as the concentration of diamond abrasive particles, the concentration of carbonyl iron powder and the machining gap in CMRF were studied comparing with the magnetorheological finishing (MRF) method. The results show that the surface roughness of polished SiC single crystal by the CMRF is slightly lower than that by the MRF. Polishing liquid with different components and processing parameters affects the coupling effect of mechanical removal and chemical removal in CMRF, and a better coupling effect can produce a better surface quality in CMRP. In the MRF, the surface roughness of SiC single crystal is lower for a higher concentration of carbonyl iron powder (CIP). However, in the CMRF, the CIP’s concentration may change the contact state between the catalyst and SiC, and the CIP’s concentration of about 20% can produce a better surface roughness of SiC. The machining gap between the polishing disk and the workpiece surface determines the processing effect, and the machining gap of 1.0 mm is suitable for the polishing of SiC in the MRF and CMRF.
