We have demonstrated a 1.48-mum tapered broad-area semiconductor laser amplifier with a monolithically integrated waveguide lens. The gain saturation characteristics of the tapered amplifier were examined. A maximum output power of 300 mW and a 3-dB saturation power of 200 mW under quasi-CW conditions were obtained from the amplifier without the wave-guide lens. Also, output power of 200 mW was obtained with a broad emission spectrum of approximately 30 nm when the device was used as a superluminescent diode. In addition, the amplified output was focused to a single lobe by the monolithically integrated aspheric waveguide lens, which may be useful for efficient coupling of the output into a single-mode fiber.