In this letter, we report experimental results of semiconductor lasers that incorporate a mirror with finite lateral extent at the output of a semiconductor tapered laser in InAlGaAs/InGaAsP/InP. We directly compare the “finite-aperture” tapered unstable resonator laser to that of the conventional “infinite-aperture” tapered laser. Using the finite aperture, we show the differential quantum efficiency is increased by 40%. Additionally, the beam is coupled out of the laser cavity using a grating, allowing for a quasicircular, low-divergence beam with no external optics.