An object is to provide a photoelectric conversion element having a side
surface with different taper angles by conducting etching of a
photoelectric conversion layer step-by-step. A pin photodiode has a high
response speed compared with a pn photodiode but has a disadvantage of
large dark current. One cause of the dark current is considered to be
conduction through an etching residue which is generated in etching and
deposited on a side surface of the photoelectric conversion layer.
Leakage current of the photoelectric conversion element is reduced by
forming a structure in which a side surface has two different tapered
shapes, which conventionally has a uniform surface, so that the
photoelectric conversion layer has a side surface of a p-layer and a side
surface of an n-layer, which are not in the same plane.