With the rapid development of white LED technology, the traditional YAG∶Ce3+ phosphor is difficult to meet the requirement due to the low color rendering and high color temperature. Using ultraviolet chip to stimulate the tri-phosphor has become an effective way for white LED, and it is urgent to develop novel tri-phosphor with high-performance, especially for red light-emitting materials. Silicon-nitrogen based compounds contain the network structure composed of SiN4 tetrahedron, with higher chemical and thermal stability. Because of their diversity structures, these phosphors have a higher absorption efficiency in UV-blue region, and also, with the change of substrate and active ion, emission spectrum will cover the entire visible region, resulting in a higher light conversion efficiency and light color stability, coupled with the advantages of being not sensitive to the changes in temperature and drive current, etc. These studies will have a far-reaching impact on the development of white LED. In the present paper, we introduce the preparation and latest progress of silicon-nitrogen based phosphor, including the crystal structure, spectroscopic properties and application characteristics.