Based on the analysis of the technical characteristics of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission,this paper summarizes the basic requirements of DC circuit breaker in HVDC.Also,it summarizes the current types of circuit breakers used in the field of DC,analyzing their operating principles and performance characteristics.The current status of DC circuit breaker at home and abroad is briefly reviewed and the current technology problems in DC circuit breaker are analyzed.At last,it is pointed out that hybrid DC circuit breaker is the main research direction in DC transmission field.