Keywords: 
• 电子自旋共振 /
• 扫描隧道显微镜

Abstract: It is highly expected that the future informatics will be based on the spins of in-dividual electrons. The development of elementary information unit will eventually leads to novel single-molecule or single-atom devices based on electron spins;the quantum computer in the fu-ture can be constructed with single electron spins as the basic quantum bits. However, it is still a great challenge in detection and manipulation of a single electron spin, as well as its coherence and entanglement. As an ideal experimental tool for such tasks, the development of electron spin resonance scanning tunneling microscope (ESR-STM) has attracted great attention for decades. This paper briefly introduces the basic concept of ESR-STM. The development history of this in-strument and recent progresses are reviewed. The underlying mechanism is explored and summa-rized. The challenges and possible solutions are discussed. Finally, the prospect of future direction and applications are presented.