We report on the first demonstration of pseudomorphic InGaAs single quantum well surface‐emitting lasers (SELs), with etched vertical mirrors and integrated 45° beam deflectors fabricated by ion beam etching. 100‐&mgr;m‐wide broad‐area SELs exhibited a threshold current of 320 mA, a total power of 126 mW, and a total external differential quantum efficiency of 0.09 W/A for a 500‐&mgr;m‐long cavity. The perpendicular far‐field pattern of broad‐area SELs showed a full width at half maximum of ∼20°. The lasers with various types of cavities fabricated from the same wafer were compared. Broad‐area edge‐emitting lasers had a threshold current of 200 mA, a total power of 700 mW, and a total external differential quantum efficiency of 0.52 W/A.