In present study, monoclinic Cu2SnS3 crystalline thin films have been successfully fabricated for the first time using stacked layer SnS/Cu by a CBD-annealing route. The chemical composition, stack order and effects of annealing temperature on Cu2SnS3 thin films and devices have been studied in detail. SEM, XRD, Raman, EDX and UV-vis analyses indicate that Cu2SnS3 absorber layers fabricated by this CBD-annealing route have good morphology, monoclinic crystal structure, relatively proper elements composition (Cu/Sn=1.68) and band gap (Eg similar to 0.87 eV). Furthermore, the photovoltaic cells based Cu2SnS3 thin films have been prepared using CBD for the first time and the device with the order of Mo/SnS/Cu annealed at 600 degrees C for 10 min with S powder shows the best performance, nearly 1% efficiency (V-oc: 157 mV, J(sc): 19.20 mA cm(-2), and FF: 31.9%). Alternative approach to produce low-cost and large-scale solar cells may be provided by this CBD-annealing route without the need for expensive vacuum-based deposition equipment. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.