扫描隧道显微镜（Scanning Tunneling Microscope ，简称STM ）是一项在各个领域得到广泛应用的新型的显微技术，它利用针尖与样品间的作用来研究表面原子及电子结构。它的出现被认为是表面科学和表面现象的分析技术的一场革命。 STM 的工作原理基于量子力学中的隧道效应，可以获得导体表面实空间图像。它分辨精度极高，且不会对样品性质造成影响。 多探针技术将是未来发展的方向。尽管超高真空变温四探针扫描隧道显微系统现在仍然极少。电阻率的常规测法是直线四探针测试法和Rymaszewski 法（有的称为双电法），这两种测试方法均要求四根探针，因此只有四探针的STM ，才能作出对样品表面输运性质的真正测量分析。 本文对STM 的发展作了简要回顾，介绍了STM 的基本原理以及系统构造。着重分析了四探针测量技术的原理以及优点，附带介绍了一些四探针系统的其他应用。最后，对STM 在未来的发展和应用作了一些展望。

STM, now applied in various fields, is a new microscopic technique which makes use of local interactions between the end of a probe and the atoms at the surface of the sample to study the atomic and electronic structure of the surface. It has been considered as a revo1ution in the analytical techniques of surface phenomena. The principle of STM is based on tunneling effect. It can provide us the real space image of the surface, high resolution and without any damage to the sample. Multi-probe is the trend of the development of STM, UHV 4-probe STM (ultrahigh vacuum four-probe STM) is still rare. The standard technique to measure the conductance of sample is to make use of linear 4 electrodes or so-called Rymaszewski method. Both these two methods requires 4 probes, so only the 4-probe STM can do the job to measure and study the electron transport. This paper made a brief review of the development of STM, introduced the principle of STM and what it consist of. The most important part of this paper is to state the principle and advantages of 4-probe STM, and its other kinds of applications. Finally, our expectations ended this paper.