Ion thruster is one of the widely used electric thrusters in space and space missions. The grid plays the role in extracting ions and accelerating them to achieve thrust, directly affecting the performance and lifespan of the thruster. Compared to traditional molybdenum grids, carbon based grids have advantages such as low thermal expansion coefficient and resistance to ion sputtering, making them ideal candidate materials for high specific impulse, high thrust, and long-life ion thruster. They have been successfully applied in orbit by some advanced ion thrusters abroad. This review analyzes and compares the characteristics of different grid materials, investigates and summarizes the development process and technical characteristics of carbon based grids at home and abroad, and reports the authors' recent progress in the development of small caliber, different configurations C/C grids, and integrated C/C grids. Finally, based on the development trend of ion propulsion in China, the review summarizes experiences and puts forward suggestions for subsequent carbon based grid research.