A semiconductor laser module comprises a tapered laser diode and/or a tapered amplifier diode equipped with beam shaping optics. The tapered laser diode and/or the tapered amplifier diode includes an emission facet for emitting a laser beam along a beam axis. The beam-shaping optics comprise a plano-convex cylindrical lens oriented so as to change divergence of the beam in the fast axis direction, the plano-convex spherical cylindrical lens having a planar surface arranged facing the facet and a circular cylindrical surface facing away from the facet. The refractive index of lens may be uniform throughout the entire lens. Alternatively, the lens may have a refractive index varying in the direction of the slow axis and/or in the direction of the fast axis.