Silicon-based neural probes are essential tools in modern extracellular electrophysiology, enabling the recording and manipulation of neural circuits with high spatial and temporal resolution. This review systematically summarizes the technological evolution, functional classifications, and biomedical applications of silicon-based neural probes. We first categorize these devices into passive architectures and active complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated platforms based on their electronic integration. Passive probes focus on channel scaling, impedance reduction, and mechanical biocompatibility, whereas active probes overcome physical wiring limits through on-chip signal amplification, multiplexing, and digitization. We then highlight recent advances in multimodal interfaces that integrate optical waveguides, microfluidic channels, and chemical sensors to transform conventional probes into active closed-loop systems. Furthermore, we examine their translational utility across animal models from rodents to non-human primates, as well as their clinical application in human intraoperative neurophysiology. Finally, we discuss key engineering challenges, including long-term stability of chronic implantation, the integration of flexible structures with active CMOS chips, and localized thermal management, while outlining future directions toward intelligent neural interfaces for decoding complex large-scale network and advancing fundamental neuroscientific discovery.