A vertically selective liftoff scribing process is provided. One application is the fabrication of solar cells and solar modules. The basis of this technology is absorption of an indirectly focused laser beam in the front electrode material of the device, which enables removal of this layer (e.g., a P1 scribe) or removal of layers above the front electrode while leaving the front electrode intact (e.g., a P2 or P3 scribe). The laser fluence can be selected to choose between these alternatives, and further fine tuning is possible depending on details of the device structure.