Veeco Instruments (VECO) 10-K 28 Feb 14 2013 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Feb. 18, 2014	Jun. 28, 2013
Document and Entity Information	'	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'VEECO INSTRUMENTS INC	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0000103145	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-13	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'Yes	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$1,376,219,104
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	39,846,244	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$210,799	$384,557
Short-term investments	281,538	192,234
Restricted cash	2,738	2,017
Accounts receivable, net	23,823	63,169
Inventories	59,726	59,807
Deferred cost of goods sold	724	1,797
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	22,579	30,358
Deferred income taxes	11,716	10,545
Total current assets	613,643	744,484
Property, plant and equipment at cost, net	89,139	98,302
Goodwill	91,348	55,828
Intangible assets, net	114,716	20,974
Other assets	38,726	16,781
Deferred income taxes	397	935
Total assets	947,969	937,304
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	35,755	26,087
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	51,084	41,401
Customer deposits and deferred revenue	34,754	42,099
Income taxes payable	6,149	2,292
Deferred income taxes	159	140
Current portion of long-term debt	290	268
Total current liabilities	128,191	112,287
Deferred income taxes	28,052	7,137
Long-term debt	1,847	2,138
Other liabilities	9,649	4,530
Total liabilities	167,739	126,092
Equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, 500,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding	'	'
Common stock; $.01 par value; authorized 120,000,000 shares; 39,666,195 shares issued and outstanding in 2013; and 39,328,503 shares issued and outstanding in 2012	397	393
Additional paid-in-capital	721,352	708,723
Retained earnings	53,860	96,123
Accumulated other comprehensive income	4,621	5,973
Total equity	780,230	811,212
Total liabilities and equity	$947,969	$937,304

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Consolidated Balance Sheets	'	'
Preferred stock, shares authorized	500,000	500,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, authorized shares	120,000,000	120,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	39,666,195	39,328,503
Common stock, shares outstanding	39,666,195	39,328,503

Consolidated_Statements_of_Ope

Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Consolidated Statements of Operations	'	'	'
Net sales	$331,749	$516,020	$979,135
Cost of sales	228,607	300,887	504,801
Gross profit	103,142	215,133	474,334
Operating expenses:	'	'	'
Selling, general and administrative	85,486	73,110	95,134
Research and development	81,424	95,153	96,596
Amortization	5,527	4,908	4,734
Restructuring	1,485	3,813	1,288
Asset impairment	1,220	1,335	584
Total operating expenses	175,142	178,319	198,336
Other, net	-1,017	-398	-261
Changes in contingent consideration	829	'	'
Operating income (loss)	-71,812	37,212	276,259
Interest income	1,200	2,476	3,776
Interest expense	-598	-1,502	-4,600
Interest income (expense), net	602	974	-824
Loss on extinguishment of debt	'	'	-3,349
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	-71,210	38,186	272,086
Income tax provision (benefit)	-28,947	11,657	81,584
Income (loss) from continuing operations	-42,263	26,529	190,502
Discontinued operations:	'	'	'
Income (loss) from discontinued operations before income taxes	'	6,269	-91,885
Income tax provision (benefit)	'	1,870	-29,370
Income (loss) from discontinued operations	'	4,399	-62,515
Net income (loss)	($42,263)	$30,928	$127,987
Basic:	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($1.09)	$0.69	$4.80
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	'	$0.11	($1.57)
Income (loss) (in dollars per share)	($1.09)	$0.80	$3.23
Diluted :	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($1.09)	$0.68	$4.63
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	'	$0.11	($1.52)
Income (loss) (in dollars per share)	($1.09)	$0.79	$3.11
Weighted average shares outstanding:	'	'	'
Basic (in shares)	38,807	38,477	39,658
Diluted (in shares)	38,807	39,051	41,155

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)	'	'	'
Net income (loss)	($42,263)	$30,928	$127,987
Available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities	34	-118	393
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	11	50	-79
Less: Reclassification adjustments for gains included in net income (loss)	-61	-24	-271
Net unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities	-16	-92	43
Minimum pension liability	'	'	'
Minimum pension liability	125	-216	-73
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	-86	79	30
Net minimum pension liability	39	-137	-43
Foreign currency translation	'	'	'
Foreign currency translation	-1,322	-1,071	1,228
Benefit (provision) for income taxes	-53	683	-434
Net foreign currency translation	-1,375	-388	794
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	-1,352	-617	794
Comprehensive income (loss)	($43,615)	$30,311	$128,781

Consolidated_Statements_of_Equ

Consolidated Statements of Equity (USD $)	Total	Common Stock	Treasury Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Balance at Dec. 31, 2009	'	'	'	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Treasury stock (in shares)	'	'	-1,118,600	'	'	'
Balance at Dec. 31, 2010	$762,512	$409	($38,098)	$656,969	$137,436	$5,796
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2010	'	40,337,950	'	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Exercise of stock options	10,714	7	'	10,707	'	'
Exercise of stock options (in shares)	'	688,105	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense-continuing operations	12,807	'	'	12,807	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense-discontinued operations	689	'	'	689	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock	-3,174	1	'	-3,175	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock (in shares)	'	131,196	'	'	'	'
Treasury stock	-162,077	'	-162,077	'	'	'
Treasury stock (in shares)	'	-4,160,228	-4,160,228	'	'	'
Debt Conversion	-32	18	'	-50	'	'
Debt Conversion (in shares)	'	1,771,413	'	'	'	'
Excess tax benefits from stock option exercises	10,406	'	'	10,406	'	'
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	688	'	'	'	-106	794
Net income (loss)	127,987	'	'	'	127,987	'
Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	760,520	435	-200,175	688,353	265,317	6,590
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011	'	38,768,436	'	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Exercise of stock options	5,409	4	'	5,405	'	'
Exercise of stock options (in shares)	'	351,436	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense-continuing operations	14,268	'	'	14,268	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock	-1,725	7	'	-1,732	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock (in shares)	'	208,631	'	'	'	'
Treasury stock	'	-53	200,175	'	-200,122	'
Debt Conversion	310	'	'	310	'	'
Excess tax benefits from stock option exercises	2,119	'	'	2,119	'	'
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	-617	'	'	'	'	-617
Net income (loss)	30,928	'	'	'	30,928	'
Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	811,212	393	'	708,723	96,123	5,973
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012	'	39,328,503	'	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'
Exercise of stock options	2,199	2	'	2,197	'	'
Exercise of stock options (in shares)	'	149,170	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation expense-continuing operations	13,130	'	'	13,130	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock	-2,696	2	'	-2,698	'	'
Issuance, vesting and cancellation of restricted stock (in shares)	'	188,522	'	'	'	'
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	-1,352	'	'	'	'	-1,352
Net income (loss)	-42,263	'	'	'	-42,263	'
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$780,230	$397	'	$721,352	$53,860	$4,621
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013	'	39,666,195	'	'	'	'

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Cash Flows from Operating Activities	'	'	'
Net income (loss)	($42,263)	$30,928	$127,987
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	18,425	16,192	12,892
Amortization of debt discount	'	'	1,260
Non-cash equity-based compensation	13,130	14,268	12,807
Non-cash asset impairment	1,220	1,335	584
Loss on extinguishment of debt	'	'	3,349
Deferred income taxes	-12,264	-340	11,276
Gain on disposal of segment	'	-4,112	'
Gain on sale of lab tools	-767	'	'
Excess tax benefits from stock option exercises	'	-2,119	-10,406
Changes in contingent consideration	829	'	'
Other, net	1,971	262	-31
Non-cash items from discontinued operations	'	-706	44,381
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	38,844	31,215	56,843
Inventories	2,753	53,937	-18,627
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	842	8,524	-13,087
Income taxes receivable	-12,604	654	-9,076
Accounts payable	7,542	-12,106	8,098
Accrued expenses, customer deposits, deferred revenue and other current liabilities	-17,329	-34,227	-72,723
Income taxes payable	-130	1,199	-42,204
Transfers to restricted cash	-721	-1,440	'
Other, net	1,249	10,431	2,119
Discontinued operations	'	-1,932	'
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	727	111,963	115,442
Cash Flows from Investing Activities	'	'	'
Capital expenditures	-9,174	-24,994	-60,364
Payments for net assets of businesses acquired	-71,488	'	-28,273
Payment for purchase of cost method investment	-2,391	-10,341	'
Transfers from (to) restricted cash related to discontinued operations	'	'	75,540
Proceeds from short-term investments	499,645	244,929	707,649
Payments for purchases of short-term investments	-589,099	-165,080	-588,453
Proceeds from the sale of lab tools	4,440	'	'
Other	11	49	195
Proceeds from sale of assets from discontinued segment	'	3,758	'
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	-168,056	48,321	106,294
Cash Flows from Financing Activities	'	'	'
Proceeds from stock option exercises	2,199	5,409	10,714
Contingent consideration payments	-5,000	'	'
Restricted stock tax withholdings	-2,696	-1,725	-3,173
Excess tax benefits from stock option exercises	'	2,119	10,406
Purchases of treasury stock	'	'	-162,077
Repayments of long-term debt	-269	-248	-105,803
Other	'	'	-2
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-5,766	5,555	-249,935
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	-663	796	989
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-173,758	166,635	-27,210
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	384,557	217,922	245,132
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	210,799	384,557	217,922
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information	'	'	'
Interest paid	357	209	1,393
Income taxes paid	8,001	11,566	89,745
Non-cash investing and financing activities	'	'	'
Accrual of fair value of contingent consideration	33,539	'	'
Merger consideration adjustment	$2,695	'	'

Description_of_Business_and_Si

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	'
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	'
	1.  Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies
	Business
	Veeco Instruments Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Veeco,” the “Company” or “we”) creates process equipment solutions that enable technologies for a cleaner and more productive world. We design, manufacture and market equipment primarily sold to make light emitting diodes (“LED”s) and hard-disk drives, as well as for emerging applications such as concentrator photovoltaics, power semiconductors, wireless components, micro-electromechanical systems (“MEMS”), and other next-generation devices.
	Our LED & Solar segment designs and manufactures metal organic chemical vapor deposition (“MOCVD”) and molecular beam epitaxy (“MBE”) systems as well as newly acquired atomic layer deposition (“ALD”) technology. Our MOCVD and MBE systems are sold to manufacturers of LEDs, wireless devices, power semiconductors, and concentrator photovoltaics, as well as for R&D applications. Our ALD technology is used by the manufacturers of OLED displays and has further applications in the semiconductor and solar markets.  In 2011 we discontinued the sale of our products related to Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide (“CIGS”) solar systems technology.
	Our Data Storage segment designs and manufactures systems used to create thin film magnetic heads (“TFMH”s) that read and write data on hard disk drives. These include ion beam etch, ion beam deposition, diamond-like carbon, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and slicing, dicing and lapping systems. While our systems are primarily sold to hard drive customers, they also have applications in optical coatings, micro-electro mechanical systems (“MEMS”) and magnetic sensors, and extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) lithography.
	Basis of Presentation
	We report interim quarters, other than fourth quarters which always end on December 31, on a 13-week basis ending on the last Sunday within such period. The interim quarter ends are determined at the beginning of each year based on the 13-week quarters. The 2013 interim quarter ends were March 31, June 30 and September 29. The 2012 interim quarter ends were April 1, July 1 and September 30. The 2011 interim quarter ends were April 3, July 3 and October 2. For ease of reference, we report these interim quarter ends as March 31, June 30 and September 30 in our interim consolidated financial statements. We have reclassified certain amounts previously reported in our financial statements to conform to the current presentation, including amounts related to discontinued operations.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates made by management include: the best estimate of selling price for our products and services; allowance for doubtful accounts; inventory obsolescence; recoverability and useful lives of property, plant and equipment and identifiable intangible assets; investment valuations; fair value of derivatives; recoverability of goodwill and long lived assets; recoverability of deferred tax assets; liabilities for product warranty; accounting for acquisitions; accruals for contingencies; equity-based payments, including forfeitures and performance based vesting; and liabilities for tax uncertainties. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
	Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Veeco and its subsidiaries. Intercompany items and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
	Revenue Recognition
	We recognize revenue when all of the following criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists with a customer; delivery of the specified products has occurred or services have been rendered; prices are contractually fixed or determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue is recorded including shipping and handling costs and excluding applicable taxes related to sales. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from contractual arrangements with customers that have multiple elements, such as systems, upgrades, components, spare parts, maintenance and service plans. For sales arrangements that contain multiple elements, we split the arrangement into separate units of accounting if the individually delivered elements have value to the customer on a standalone basis. We also evaluate whether multiple transactions with the same customer or related party should be considered part of a multiple element arrangement, whereby we assess, among other factors, whether the contracts or agreements are negotiated or executed within a short time frame of each other or if there are indicators that the contracts are negotiated in contemplation of each other. When we have separate units of accounting, we allocate revenue to each element based on the following selling price hierarchy: vendor-specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) if available; third party evidence (“TPE”) if VSOE is not available; or our best estimate of selling price (“BESP”) if neither VSOE nor TPE is available.  We utilize BESP for the majority of the elements in our arrangements. The accounting guidance for selling price hierarchy did not include BESP for arrangements entered into prior to January 1, 2011, and as such we recognized revenue for those arrangements as described below.
	We consider many facts when evaluating each of our sales arrangements to determine the timing of revenue recognition, including the contractual obligations, the customer’s creditworthiness and the nature of the customer’s post-delivery acceptance provisions.  Our system sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally include field acceptance provisions that may include functional or mechanical test procedures. For the majority of our arrangements, a customer source inspection of the system is performed in our facility or test data is sent to the customer documenting that the system is functioning to the agreed upon specifications prior to delivery. Historically, such source inspection or test data replicates the field acceptance provisions that will be performed at the customer’s site prior to final acceptance of the system. As such, we objectively demonstrate that the criteria specified in the contractual acceptance provisions are achieved prior to delivery and, therefore, we recognize revenue upon delivery since there is no substantive contingency remaining related to the acceptance provisions at that date, subject to the retention amount constraint described below.  For new products, new applications of existing products or for products with substantive customer acceptance provisions where we cannot objectively demonstrate that the criteria specified in the contractual acceptance provisions have been achieved prior to delivery, revenue and the associated costs are deferred and fully recognized upon the receipt of final customer acceptance, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.
	Our system sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally do not contain provisions for right of return or forfeiture, refund, or other purchase price concessions. In the rare instances where such provisions are included, we defer all revenue until such rights expire. In many cases our products are sold with a billing retention, typically 10% of the sales price (the “retention amount”), which is typically payable by the customer when field acceptance provisions are completed. The amount of revenue recognized upon delivery of a system or upgrade, if any, is limited to the lower of i) the amount billed that is not contingent upon acceptance provisions or ii) the value of the arrangement consideration allocated to the delivered elements, if such sale is part of a multiple-element arrangement.
	For transactions entered into prior to January 1, 2011, under the accounting rules for multiple-element arrangements in place at that time, we deferred the greater of the retention amount or the relative fair value of the undelivered elements based on VSOE.  When we could not establish VSOE or TPE for all undelivered elements of an arrangement, revenue on the entire arrangement was deferred until the earlier of the point when we did have VSOE for all undelivered elements or the delivery of all elements of the arrangement.
	Our sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally include installation. The installation process is not deemed essential to the functionality of the equipment since it is not complex; that is, it does not require significant changes to the features or capabilities of the equipment or involve building elaborate interfaces or connections subsequent to factory acceptance. We have a demonstrated history of consistently completing installations in a timely manner and can reliably estimate the costs of such activities. Most customers engage us to perform the installation services, although there are other third-party providers with sufficient knowledge who could complete these services. Based on these factors, we deem the installation of our systems to be inconsequential or perfunctory relative to the system as a whole, and as a result, do not consider such services to be a separate element of the arrangement. As such, we accrue the cost of the installation at the time of revenue recognition for the system.
	In Japan, where our contractual terms with customers generally specify title and risk and rewards of ownership transfer upon customer acceptance, revenue is recognized and the customer is billed upon the receipt of written customer acceptance. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, we began using a distributor for almost all of our product and service sales to customers in Japan. Title and risk and rewards of ownership of our system sales still transfer to our end-customers upon their acceptance.  As such, there is no impact to our policy of recognizing revenue upon receipt of written acceptance from the end customer.
	Revenue related to maintenance and service contracts is recognized ratably over the applicable contract term.  Component and spare part revenue are recognized at the time of delivery in accordance with the terms of the applicable sales arrangement.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include cash and certain highly liquid investments. Highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased may be classified as cash equivalents. Such items may include liquid money market accounts, U.S. treasuries, government agency securities and corporate debt. The investments that are classified as cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.
	Short-Term Investments
	We determine the appropriate balance sheet classification of our investments at the time of purchase and evaluate the classification at each balance sheet date. As part of our cash management program, we maintain a portfolio of marketable securities which are classified as available-for-sale. These securities include U.S. treasuries and government agency securities with maturities of greater than three months when purchased. Securities classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair market value, with the unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in the determination of comprehensive income (loss) and reported in equity. Net realized gains and losses are included in net income (loss).
	Accounts Receivable, Net
	Accounts receivable are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2.4 million and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We evaluate the collectability of accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In cases where we become aware of circumstances that may impair a customer’s ability to meet its financial obligations subsequent to the original sale, we will record an allowance against amounts due, and thereby reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount the we reasonably believes will be collected. For all other customers, we recognize an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the length of time the receivables are past due and consideration of other factors such as industry conditions, the current business environment and its historical experience.
	Concentration of Credit Risk
	Financial instruments, which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of accounts receivable, short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and, where appropriate, require that letters of credit be provided on certain foreign sales arrangements. We maintain allowances for potential credit losses and make investments with strong, higher credit quality issuers and continuously monitor the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer.
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (principally first-in, first-out method) or market.  On a quarterly basis, management assesses the valuation and recoverability of all inventories, classified as materials (which include raw materials, spare parts and service inventory), work-in-process and finished goods.
	Materials inventory is used primarily to support the installed tool base and spare parts sales and is reviewed for excess quantities or obsolescence by comparing on-hand balances to historical usage, and adjusted for current economic conditions and other qualitative factors. Historically, the variability of such estimates has been impacted by customer demand and tool utilization rates.
	The work-in-process and finished goods inventory is principally used to support system sales and is reviewed for recoverability by considering whether on hand inventory would be utilized to fulfill the related backlog. As we typically receive deposits for our orders, the variability of this estimate is reduced as customers have a vested interest in the orders they place with us. Recoverability of such inventory is evaluated by monitoring customer demand, current sales trends and product gross margins.  Management also considers qualitative factors such as future product demand based on market outlook, which is based principally upon production requirements resulting from customer purchase orders received with a customer-confirmed shipment date within the next twelve months.  Historically, the variability of these estimates of future product demand has been impacted by backlog cancellations or modifications resulting from unanticipated changes in technology or customer demand.
	Following identification of potential excess or obsolete inventory, management evaluates the need to write down inventory balances to its estimated market value, if less than its cost.  Inherent in the estimates of market value are management’s estimates related to our future manufacturing schedules, customer demand, technological and/or market obsolescence, possible alternative uses, and ultimate realization of potential excess inventory.  Unanticipated changes in demand for our products may require a write down of inventory that could materially affect our operating results.
	Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles
	Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired.  We account for goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives in accordance with relevant accounting guidance related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which states that goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives should not be amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually at the reporting unit level.  Our policy is to perform this annual impairment test in the fourth quarter, using a measurement date of October 1st, of each fiscal year or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. Impairment indicators include, among other conditions, cash flow deficits, a historical or anticipated decline in revenue or operating profit, adverse legal or regulatory developments and a material decrease in the fair value of some or all of the assets.
	The guidance provides an option for an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary.
	If we determine the two-step impairment test is necessary, we are required to determine if it is appropriate to use the operating segment, as defined under guidance for segment reporting, as the reporting unit, or one level below the operating segment, depending on whether certain criteria are met. We have identified five reporting units that are required to be reviewed for impairment. The five reporting units are aggregated into two segments: the VIBE and Mechanical reporting units which are reported in our Data Storage segment; and the MOCVD, MBE and ALD reporting units which are reported in our LED & Solar segment. In identifying the reporting units management considered the economic characteristics of operating segments including the products and services provided, production processes, types or classes of customer and product distribution.
	If required, we perform this impairment test by first comparing the fair value of our reporting units to their respective carrying amount. When determining the estimated fair value of a reporting unit, we utilize a discounted future cash flow approach since reported quoted market prices are not available for our reporting units. Developing the estimate of the discounted future cash flow requires significant judgment and projections of future financial performance. The key assumptions used in developing the discounted future cash flows are the projection of future revenues and expenses, working capital requirements, residual growth rates and the weighted average cost of capital. In developing our financial projections, we consider historical data, current internal estimates and market growth trends. Changes to any of these assumptions could materially change the fair value of the reporting unit. We reconcile the aggregate fair value of our reporting units to our adjusted market capitalization as a supporting calculation. The adjusted market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the average share price of our common stock for the last ten trading days prior to the measurement date by the number of outstanding common shares and adding a control premium.
	If the carrying value of the reporting units exceed the fair value we would then compare the implied fair value of our goodwill to the carrying amount in order to determine the amount of the impairment, if any.
	Definite-Lived Intangible and Long-Lived Assets
	Definite-lived intangible assets consist of purchased technology, customer-related intangible assets, patents, trademarks, covenants not-to-compete, software licenses and deferred financing costs. Purchased technology consists of the core proprietary manufacturing technologies associated with the products and offerings obtained through acquisition and are initially recorded at fair value. Customer-related intangible assets, patents, trademarks, covenants not-to-compete and software licenses that are obtained in an acquisition are initially recorded at fair value. Other software licenses and deferred financing costs are initially recorded at cost. Intangible assets with definitive useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives for periods up to 17 years.
	Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the related assets using the straight-line method for financial statement purposes. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements.
	Long-lived assets, such as property, plant, and equipment and intangible assets with definite useful lives, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Impairment indicators include, among other conditions, cash flow deficits, a historical or anticipated decline in revenue or operating profit, adverse legal or regulatory developments and a material decrease in the fair value of some or all of the assets. Assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows generated by other asset groups. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flow expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.
	Accounting for Acquisitions
	Our growth strategy has included the acquisition of businesses. The purchase price of these acquisitions has been determined after due diligence of the acquired business, market research, strategic planning, and the forecasting of expected future results and synergies. Estimated future results and expected synergies are subject to judgment as we integrate each acquisition and attempt to leverage resources.
	The accounting for the acquisitions we have made requires that the assets and liabilities acquired, as well as any contingent consideration that may be part of the agreement, be recorded at their respective fair values at the date of acquisition. This requires management to make significant estimates in determining the fair values, especially with respect to intangible assets, including estimates of expected cash flows, expected cost savings and the appropriate weighted average cost of capital. As a result of these significant judgments to be made we often obtain the assistance of independent valuation firms. We complete these assessments as soon as practical after the closing dates. Any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Please see our footnote Business Combinations in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
	Cost Method of Accounting for Investments
	Investee companies not accounted for under the consolidation or the equity method of accounting are accounted for under the cost method of accounting. Under this method, our share of the earnings or losses of such investee companies are not included in the Consolidated Balance Sheet or Statements of Operations. However, impairment charges are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. If circumstances suggest that the value of the investee company has subsequently recovered, such recovery is not recorded.
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	We believe the carrying amounts of our financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, reflected in the consolidated financial statements approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of our debt, including current maturities, is estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis, based on the estimated current incremental borrowing rates for similar types of securities.
	Translation of Foreign Currencies
	Certain of our international subsidiaries operate using local functional currencies. Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date, and income and expense accounts and cash flow items are translated at average monthly exchange rates during the respective periods. Net exchange gains or losses resulting from the translation of foreign financial statements and the effect of exchange rates on intercompany transactions of a long-term investment nature are recorded as a separate component of equity in accumulated other comprehensive income. Any foreign currency gains or losses related to transactions are included in operating results.
	Environmental Compliance and Remediation
	Environmental compliance costs include ongoing maintenance, monitoring and similar costs. Such costs are expensed as incurred. Environmental remediation costs are accrued when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost can be reasonably estimated.
	Research and Development Costs
	Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred and include expenses for the development of new technology and the transition of technology into new products or services.
	Warranty Costs
	Our warranties are typically valid for one year from the date of final acceptance. We estimate the costs that may be incurred under the warranty that we provide for our products. We record a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the related revenue is recognized. Estimated warranty costs are determined by analyzing specific product and historical configuration statistics and regional warranty support costs. Our warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates, material usage, and labor costs incurred in correcting product failures during the warranty period. Unforeseen component failures or exceptional component performance can also result in changes to warranty costs. If actual warranty costs differ substantially from our estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.
	Income Taxes
	We are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating the actual current tax expense, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The carrying value of our deferred tax assets is adjusted by a partial valuation allowance to recognize the extent to which the future tax benefits will be recognized on a more likely than not basis. Our net deferred tax assets consist primarily of tax credit carry forwards and timing differences between the book and tax treatment of inventory, acquired intangible assets and other asset valuations. Realization of these net deferred tax assets is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income.
	We record valuation allowances in order to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. In assessing the adequacy of recorded valuation allowances, we consider a variety of factors, including the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Under the relevant accounting guidance, factors such as current and previous operating losses are given significantly greater weight than the outlook for future profitability in determining the deferred tax asset carrying value.
	Relevant accounting guidance addresses the determination of how tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements. Under such guidance, we must recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such uncertain tax positions are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate resolution.
	Advertising Expense
	The cost of advertising is expensed as of the first showing of each advertisement. We incurred $0.5 million, $0.8 million and $1.4 million in advertising expenses during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Shipping and Handling Costs
Shipping and handling costs are costs that are incurred to move, package and prepare our products for shipment and then to move the products to the customer’s designated location. These costs are generally comprised of payments to third-party shippers. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of sales in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Equity-Based Compensation
We grant equity-based awards, such as stock options and restricted stock or restricted stock units, to certain key employees to create a clear and meaningful alignment between compensation and shareholder return and to enable the employees to develop and maintain a stock ownership position.  While the majority of our equity awards feature time-based vesting, performance-based equity awards, which are awarded from time to time to certain of our key executives, vest as a function of performance, and may also be subject to the recipient’s continued employment which also acts as a significant retention incentive.
Equity-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the employee requisite service period. In order to determine the fair value of stock options on the date of grant, we apply the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Inherent in the model are assumptions related to risk-free interest rate, dividend yield, expected stock-price volatility and option life.
The risk-free rate assumed in valuing the options is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for the expected term of the option. The dividend yield assumption is based on our historical and future expectation of dividend payouts. While the risk-free interest rate and dividend yield are less subjective assumptions, typically based on objective data derived from public sources, the expected stock-price volatility and option life assumptions require a level of judgment which results in more subjective accounting estimates.
We use an expected stock-price volatility assumption that is a combination of both historical volatility calculated based on the daily closing prices of our common stock over a period equal to the expected term of the option and implied volatility which utilizes market data of actively traded options on our common stock, which are obtained from public data sources. We believe that the historical volatility of the price of our common stock over the expected term of the option is a strong indicator of the expected future volatility and that implied volatility takes into consideration market expectations of how future volatility will differ from historical volatility. Accordingly, we believe a combination of both historical and implied volatility provides the best estimate of the future volatility of the market price of our common stock.
The expected option term, representing the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, is estimated using a lattice-based model incorporating historical post vest exercise and employee termination behavior.
We estimate forfeitures using our historical experience, which is adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Because of the significant amount of judgment used in these calculations, it is reasonably likely that circumstances may cause the estimate to change.
We settle the exercise of stock options with newly issued shares.
With respect to grants of performance based awards, we assess the probability that such performance criteria will be met in order to determine the compensation expense.  Consequently, the compensation expense is recognized straight-line over the vesting period. If that assessment of the probability of the performance condition being met changes, we would recognize the impact of the change in estimate in the period of the change. As with the use of any estimate, and due to the significant judgment used to derive those estimates, actual results may vary.
We have elected to treat awards with only service conditions and with graded vesting as one award. Consequently, the total compensation expense is recognized straight-line over the entire vesting period, so long as the compensation cost recognized at any date at least equals the portion of the grant date fair value of the award that is vested at that date.
Negotiable Letters of Credit
For certain transactions, we request that our customers provide us with a negotiable irrevocable letter of credit drawn on a reputable financial institution. These irrevocable letters of credit are typically issued to mature, on average, for 0 to 90 days post documentation requirements, but occasionally for longer. For a fee, one of our banks confirms the reputation of the issuing institution and, at our option, monetizes these letters of credit on a non-recourse basis soon after they become negotiable. Once we monetize the letter of credit with the confirming bank, we have no further obligations or interest in the letter of credit and they are not included in our consolidated balance sheets. The fees that we pay are included in selling, general and administrative expense and are not material.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or Tax Credit Carryforward Exists: In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-11. ASU 2013-11 requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law. This ASU is effective prospectively for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. We are evaluating the potential impact of this adoption on our consolidated financial statements.
Presentation of Financial Statements: In April 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-07, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205): Liquidation Basis of Accounting.” The objective of ASU 2013-07 is to clarify when an entity should apply the liquidation basis of accounting. The update provides principles for the recognition and measurement of assets and liabilities and requirements for financial statements prepared using the liquidation basis of accounting. This ASU is effective prospectively for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. We do not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, absent any indications that liquidation is imminent.
Parent’s Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment: In March 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-05, Parent’s Accounting for the Cumulative Translation Adjustment upon Derecognition of Certain Subsidiaries or Groups of Assets within a Foreign Entity or of an Investment in a Foreign Entity. This new standard is intended to resolve diversity in practice regarding the release into net income of a cumulative translation adjustment (“CTA”) upon derecognition of a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity. ASU No. 2013-05 is effective prospectively for fiscal years (and interim reporting periods within those years) beginning after December 15, 2013. We currently anticipate that its adoption could have an impact on our consolidated financial statements, in the event of derecognition of a foreign subsidiary in 2014 or subsequently.  We cannot estimate the amount of CTA to be released into income from any potential derecognition.
Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date:  In February 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-04, “Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date”.  ASU No. 2013-04 provides guidance for the recognition, measurement, and disclosure of obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation within the scope of the guidance is fixed at the reporting date, as the sum of the amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors and any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors. In addition, ASU No. 2013-04 requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation, as well as other information about the obligations. ASU No. 2013-04 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2013 and is to be applied retrospectively. We do not anticipate that the adoption of this standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Income_Loss_Per_Common_Share

Income (Loss) Per Common Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income (Loss) Per Common Share	'
Income (Loss) Per Common Share	'
	2.  Income (Loss) Per Common Share
	The following table sets forth basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share and the basic weighted average shares outstanding and diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands, except per share data):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Net income (loss)	$	(42,263	)	$	30,928	$	127,987
	Net income (loss) per common share:
	Basic	$	(1.09	)	$	0.8	$	3.23
	Diluted	$	(1.09	)	$	0.79	$	3.11
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	38,807			38,477		39,658
	Dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock awards and units and convertible debt	—			574		1,497
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	38,807			39,051		41,155
	Basic income (loss) per common share is computed using the basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per common share is computed using the basic weighted average number of common shares and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the effect of approximately 0.6 million common equivalent shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive due to the net loss sustained during the period. Potentially dilutive securities attributable to outstanding stock options and restricted stock of approximately 1.3 million, 1.3 million and 0.7 million common equivalent shares during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 were excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.
	During the second quarter of 2011 the entire outstanding principal balance of our convertible debt was converted, with the principal amount paid in cash and the conversion premium paid in shares. The convertible notes met the criteria for determining the effect of the assumed conversion using the treasury stock method of accounting, since we had settled the principal amount of the notes in cash. Using the treasury stock method, it was determined that the impact of the assumed conversion for the years ended December 31, 2011 had a dilutive effect of 0.6 million shares.

Discontinued_Operations

Discontinued Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Discontinued Operations	'
Discontinued Operations	'
	3.  Discontinued Operations
	CIGS Solar Systems Business
	On July 28, 2011, we announced a plan to discontinue our CIGS solar systems business. The results of operations for the CIGS solar systems business have been recorded as discontinued operations for all periods presented. During the year ended December 31, 2011, total discontinued operations related to the discontinued CIGS business include pre-tax charges totaling $69.8 million. These charges include an asset impairment charge totaling $6.2 million, a goodwill write-off of $10.8 million, an inventory write-off totaling $27.0 million, charges to settle contracts totaling $22.1 million, lease related charges totaling $1.4 million and personnel severance charges totaling $2.3 million.
	Metrology
	On August 15, 2010, we signed a definitive agreement to sell our Metrology business to Bruker. The results of operations for the Metrology business have been recorded as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The sale transaction closed on October 7, 2010, except for assets located in China due to local restrictions. Total proceeds, which included a working capital adjustment of $1 million, totaled $230.4 million of which $7.2 million relates to the assets in China. During 2010, we recognized a pre-tax gain on disposal of $156.3 million and a pre-tax deferred gain of $5.4 million related to the assets in China.  We recognized into income the pre-tax deferred gain of $5.4 million during 2012 related to the completion of the sale of the assets in China to Bruker. We also recognized a $1.4 million gain ($1.1 million net of taxes) on the sale of assets of this discontinued segment that were previously held for sale and sold during 2012.
	Summary information related to discontinued operations is as follows (in thousands):
		2012							2011
		Solar							Solar
		Systems			Metrology		Total		Systems			Metrology			Total
	Net sales	$	—		$	—	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—
	Net income (loss) from discontinued operations	$	(62	)	$	4,461	$	4,399	$	(61,453	)	$	(1,062	)	$	(62,515	)

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value Measurements	'
Fair Value Measurements	'
	4.  Fair Value Measurements
	We have categorized our assets and liabilities recorded at fair value based upon the fair value hierarchy. The levels of fair value hierarchy are as follows:
	·                  Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access.
	·                  Level 2 inputs utilize other-than-quoted prices that are observable, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.
	·                  Level 3 inputs are unobservable and are typically based on our own assumptions, including situations where there is little, if any, market activity.
	In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, we categorize such assets or liabilities based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset.
	Both observable and unobservable inputs may be used to determine the fair value of positions that are classified within the Level 3 category. As a result, the unrealized gains and losses for assets within the Level 3 category presented below may include changes in fair value that were attributable to both observable (e.g. changes in market interest rates) and unobservable (e.g. changes in historical company data) inputs.
	The major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value, as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013
		Level 1			Level 2		Level 3			Total
	U.S. treasuries	$	130,977		$	—	$	—		$	130,977
	Corporate debt	—			77,601		—			77,601
	Government agency securities	—			61,013		—			61,013
	Commercial paper	—			11,947		—			11,947
	Derivative instrument	—			907		—			907
	Contingent consideration	—			—		(29,368		)	(29,368		)
		December 31, 2012 (1)
		Level 1			Level 2		Level 3			Total
	U.S. treasuries	$	278,698		$	—	$	—		$	278,698
	Government agency securities	—			123,054		—			123,054
	Derivative instrument	—			248		—			248
	(1)         December 31, 2012 table has been conformed to present year presentation.
	Highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased may be classified as cash equivalents. Such items may include liquid money market accounts, U.S. treasuries, government agency securities and corporate debt. The investments that are classified as cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.  Accordingly, no gains or losses (realized/unrealized) have been incurred for cash equivalents. All investments classified as available-for-sale are recorded at fair value within short-term investments in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	In determining the fair value of our investments and levels, through a third-party service provider, we use pricing information from pricing services that value securities based on quoted market prices in active markets and matrix pricing. Matrix pricing is a mathematical valuation technique that does not rely exclusively on quoted prices of specific investments, but on the investment’s relationship to other benchmarked quoted securities. We have a process in place for investment valuations to facilitate identification and resolution of potentially erroneous prices. We review the information provided by the third-party service provider to record the fair value of its portfolio.
	Consistent with Level 1 measurement principles, U.S. treasuries are priced using active market prices of identical securities. Consistent with Level 2 measurement principles, corporate debt, government agency securities, commercial paper, and derivative instruments are priced with matrix pricing.
	A reconciliation of the amount in Level 3 is as follows (in thousands):
		Level 3
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	—
	Addition of contingent consideration	(33,539		)
	Payment on contingent consideration	5,000
	Fair value adjustment of contingent consideration	(829		)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	(29,368	)
	We estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration by applying various probabilities and discount factors to each of the various performance milestones as further discussed in note Business Combinations. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and thus represent a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820. The discount rates used ranged from 3.6% to 13.0% for the purchase order related contingent payments and from 15.5% to 30.5% for the revenue and gross margin related contingent payments. These rates were determined based on the nature of the milestone, the risks and uncertainties involved and the time period until the milestone was measured.
	We measure certain assets for fair value on a non-recurring basis when there are indications of impairment.
	In 2013 and 2012 we measured certain assets consistent with Level 3 measurement principles using an income approach based on a discounted cash flow model in order to determine the amount of impairment, if any. In 2013, we evaluated certain tangible assets in our LED & Solar segment for impairment. As a result of the evaluation we adjusted the carrying value by $0.9 million related to tools that we had previously used in our laboratories held in Property, plant and equipment which we are holding for sale and by $0.3 million related to an asset held in Other assets with $1.2 million of adjustments recorded as impairment in 2013. In 2012, we evaluated an asset in our Data Storage segment for impairment. As a result of the evaluation we adjusted the carrying value of the asset carried in Other assets from $1.4 million to $0.1 million with the $1.3 million adjustment recorded as impairment in 2012.

Business_Combinations

Business Combinations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations	'
Business Combinations	'
	5.  Business Combinations
	On April 4, 2011, we purchased a privately-held company which supplies certain components to one of our businesses for $28.3 million in cash. As a result of this purchase, we acquired $16.4 million of definite-lived intangibles, of which $13.6 million related to core technology, and $14.7 million of goodwill. The financial results of this acquisition are included in our LED & Solar segment as of the acquisition date. We determined that this acquisition does not constitute a material business combination and therefore we have not included pro forma financial information in this report.
	On October 1, 2013 (“the Acquisition Date”), Veeco acquired 100% of the outstanding common shares and voting interest of Synos Technology, Inc. (“Synos”). The results of Synos’ operations have been included in the consolidated financial statements since that date. Synos is an early stage manufacturer of fast array scanning atomic layer deposition (“FAST-ALD”) tools for OLED and other applications. As a result of the acquisition, the Company has entered the FAST-ALD market which is complimentary to the Company’s MOCVD LED offerings.
	The Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration totaled $102.3 million, net of cash acquired, which consisted of the following (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
	Cash (net of cash acquired)	$	71,488
	Working capital adjustment	(2,695		)
	Contingent consideration	33,539
	Total	$	102,332
	As part of Veeco’s acquisition of Synos, we may be obligated to pay to the selling shareholders of Synos certain contingent consideration. The aggregate fair value of the contingent consideration arrangement at the acquisition date was $33.5 million. The contingency arrangements are generally as follows:
	·                  Up to $40.0 million based on defined milestones tied to the receipt of certain purchase orders from customers by certain dates through the first quarter of 2014. The Company determined the fair value of these contingent payments to be $24.3 million.  Of this amount, $5.0 million was earned and paid in the fourth quarter of 2013.  The second milestone pertaining to this contingency is to be measured by March 31, 2014 and could result in either no payment, a payment of $17.5 million or a payment of $35 million.  The difference between the amount earned and the fair value recorded will be recorded in the statement of operations for the period ended March 31, 2014.  The outcome is currently unknown.
	·                  Up to $75.0 million based on defined milestones tied to meeting certain revenue and gross margin thresholds based on full year 2014 results. The Company has determined the fair value of these contingent payments to be $9.2 million. The fair value of this contingency will continued to be measured at each reporting period and changes in fair value will be recorded in the statement of operations.
	We estimated the fair value of the contingent consideration by applying various probabilities and discount factors to each of the various performance milestones. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and thus represent a Level 3 measurement as defined in ASC 820. The discount rates used ranged from 3.6% to 13.0% for the purchase order related contingent payments and from 15.5% to 30.5% for the revenue and gross margin related contingent payments. These rates were determined based on the nature of the milestone, the risks and uncertainties involved and the time period until the milestone was measured. The determination of the various probabilities and discount factors are highly subjective and require significant judgment and are influenced by a number of factors, including the adoption of OLED technology and limited history.  While the use of OLED is expected to grow in the near future, it is difficult to predict the rate at which OLED will be adopted by the market and thus would impact the sales of our equipment.
	As of December 31, 2013, the first milestone was achieved and we paid the former shareholders of Synos $5.0 million.  In addition, the recognized amount for the contingencies increased by $0.8 million as of December 31, 2013 as a result of changes in the fair value of contingent consideration.
	The following table summarizes the estimated fair values of the assets acquired, net of the cash acquired, and liabilities assumed at the Acquisition Date. Veeco utilized third-party valuations of the tangible and intangible assets acquired as well as the contingent consideration. The amounts below are preliminary and are subject to change (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
	Accounts receivable	$	1,523
	Inventory	386
	Other current assets	512
	Property, plant, and equipment	1,917
	Intangible assets	99,270
	Total identifiable assets acquired	103,608
	Current liabilities	4,370
	Estimated deferred tax liability, net	32,426
	Total liabilities assumed	36,796
	Net identifiable assets acquired	66,812
	Goodwill	35,520
	Net assets acquired	$	102,332
	The $35.5 million of goodwill was assigned to the LED & Solar segment. None of the goodwill is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. As of December 31, 2013, there were no changes in the recognized amounts of goodwill resulting from the acquisition of Synos.
	The classes of intangible assets acquired and the estimated weighted-average useful life of each class is presented in the table below (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
		Amount			Average useful life
	Technology	$	73,160		14 years
	In-process research and development	5,070			To be determined
	Customer relationship	20,630			8 years
	Trademark and trade name	140			1 year
	Non-compete agreement	270			3 years
	Intangible assets acquired	$	99,270
	We determined the estimated fair value of the identifiable intangible assets based on various factors including: cost, discounted cash flow, income method, loss-of-revenue/income method and relief-from-royalty method in determining the purchase price allocation.
	Technology is being amortized on an accelerated basis consistent with the timing of the cash flows it is expected to generate. Pursuant to the accounting guidance, acquired in-process research and development is not amortized until such time as it is completed or abandoned. Upon completion, we will amortize the acquired amount over its useful life. As noted earlier, the fair value of the acquired assets is provisional pending the final valuations for these assets.
	We recognized $1.0 million of acquisition related costs that were expensed in 2013. These costs are included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the line item entitled “Selling, general and administrative.”
	The amounts of revenue and income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes of Synos included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations from the acquisition date (October 1, 2013) to the period ending December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
	Revenue	$	409
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(6,480	)
	The following represents the pro forma Consolidated Statements of Operations as if Synos had been included in our consolidated results (in thousands):
		For the year ended December 31,
		(unaudited)
		2013			2012
	Revenue	$	346,319		$	522,029
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(60,983	)	$	16,840
	These amounts have been calculated after applying our accounting policies to material amounts and also adjusting the results of Synos to reflect the additional amortization that would have been expensed assuming the fair value adjustments to intangible assets had been applied on January 1, 2012.

Balance_Sheet_Information

Balance Sheet Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Balance Sheet Information	'
Balance Sheet Information	'
	6.  Balance Sheet Information
	Short-Term Investments
	Available-for-sale securities consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013
					Gains in			Losses in
					Accumulated			Accumulated
					Other			Other
		Amortized			Comprehensive			Comprehensive			Estimated
		Cost			Income			Income			Fair Value
	U.S. treasuries	$	130,956		$	22		$	(1	)	$	130,977
	Government agency securities	61,004			9			—			61,013
	Corporate debt	77,582			55			(36		)	77,601
	Commercial paper	11,947			—			—			11,947
	Total available-for-sale securities	$	281,489		$	86		$	(37	)	$	281,538
	During the year ended December 31, 2013, sales and maturities of available-for-sale securities provided total proceeds of $499.6 million. The gross realized gains on these sales were $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. For purpose of determining gross realized gains, the cost of securities sold is based on specific identification. The change in the net unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale securities was minimal for the year ended December 31, 2013, and has been included in accumulated other comprehensive income. The tax impact on the unrealized gains, which is excluded from the table above, was less than $0.1 million.
		December 31, 2012
					Gains in			Losses in
					Accumulated			Accumulated
					Other			Other
		Amortized			Comprehensive			Comprehensive			Estimated
		Cost			Income			Income			Fair Value
	U.S. treasuries	$	184,102		$	76		$	—		$	184,178
	Government agency securities	8,056			—			—			8,056
	Total available-for-sale securities	$	192,158		$	76		$	—		$	192,234
	During the year ended December 31, 2012, sales and maturities of available-for-sale securities provided total proceeds of $244.9 million. The gross realized gains on these sales were minimal for the year ended December 31, 2012. For purpose of determining gross realized gains, the cost of securities sold is based on specific identification. The change in the net unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale securities amounted to $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, and has been included in accumulated other comprehensive income. The tax impact on the unrealized gains, which is excluded from the table above, was minimal.
	Available-for-sale securities in a loss position at December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
		Less than 12 months						Total
					Gross						Gross
					Unrealized						Unrealized
		Fair value			Losses			Fair value			Losses
	Corporate debt	$	37,654		$	(36	)	$	37,654		$	(36	)
	U.S. treasuries	29,068			(1		)	29,068			(1		)
	Total	$	66,722		$	(37	)	$	66,722		$	(37	)
	As of December 31, 2013 we had $66.7 million in short-term investments that had an aggregate unrealized fair value loss of less than $0.1 million none of which had been in an unrealized loss position for 12 months or longer. As of December 31, 2012 we did not hold any short-term investments that were in a loss position.
	Contractual maturities of available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
		Estimated
		Fair Value
	Due in one year or less	$	196,015
	Due in 1–2 years	64,156
	Due in 2–3 years	21,367
	Total investments in securities	$	281,538
	Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because some borrowers have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
	Restricted Cash
	As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, restricted cash consisted of $2.7 million and $2.0 million, respectively, which serves as collateral for bank guarantees that provide financial assurance that the Company will fulfill certain customer obligations. This cash is held in custody by the issuing bank, and is restricted as to withdrawal or use while the related bank guarantees are outstanding.
	Accounts Receivable, Net
	Accounts receivable are shown net of the allowance for doubtful accounts of $2.4 million and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Inventories (in thousands)
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Materials	$	34,301		$	36,523
	Work in process	12,900			13,363
	Finished goods	12,525			9,921
		$	59,726		$	59,807
	Property, Plant and Equipment (in thousands)
		December 31,						Estimated
		2013			2012			Useful Lives
	Land	$	12,535		$	12,535
	Building and improvements	52,050			49,498			10-40 years
	Machinery and equipment	110,228			110,150			3-10 years
	Leasehold improvements	5,888			5,677			3-7 years
	Gross property, plant and equipment at cost	180,701			177,860
	Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization	91,562			79,558
	Net property, plant and equipment	$	89,139		$	98,302
For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, depreciation expense was $12.9 million, $11.3 million and $8.2 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2013, we had $7.2 million of tools that we previously used in our laboratories carried in machinery and equipment which we are holding for sale. These tools are the same type of tools we sell to our customers in the ordinary course of our business. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2013, we converted and sold $3.7 million of tools that we had previously used in our laboratories as Veeco Certified Equipment at an aggregate selling price of $7.4 million which is included in revenue. During 2013, we recorded asset impairment charges in LED & Solar of $0.9 million related to certain tools used in our laboratories carried in machinery and equipment which we are holding for sale.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
In accordance with the relevant accounting guidance related to goodwill and other intangible assets, we conducted our annual impairment test of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets during the fourth quarters of 2013 and 2012, using October 1st as our measurement date as described in our footnote Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies. Based upon the results of the qualitative assessment we determined that it was not more likely than not that goodwill or our indefinite-lived intangible assets were impaired. Therefore, we determined that no impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset existed as of October 1, 2013. In 2012, we determined not to perform the optional qualitative assessment and performed our step 1 assessment utilizing discounted future cash flows and a reconciliation to our market capitalization. Based on our assessment we determined that there was no impairment of our goodwill or our indefinite-lived assets as of October 1, 2012.
Changes in our goodwill are as follows (in thousands):
	December 31,
	2013			2012
Beginning balance	$	55,828		$	55,828
Acquisition (see Business Combinations)	35,520			—
Ending balance	$	91,348		$	55,828
Intangible Assets
As of December 31, 2013, we had $8.0 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets consisting of trademarks, tradenames and in-process research and development (“IPR&D”). Pursuant to acquisition guidance, IPR&D is carried as an indefinite lived intangible until abandonment or completion. As of December 31, 2012, we had $2.9 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets consisting of trademarks and tradenames. These intangibles are included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets in the caption intangible assets, net.
	December 31, 2013									December 31, 2012
				Other			Total						Other			Total
	Purchased			intangible			intangible			Purchased			intangible			intangible
(in thousands)	technology			assets			assets			technology			assets			assets
Gross intangible assets	$	187,478		$	40,675		$	228,153		$	109,248		$	19,635		$	128,883
Less accumulated amortization	(97,524		)	(15,913		)	(113,437		)	(93,436		)	(14,473		)	(107,909		)
Intangible assets, net	$	89,954		$	24,762		$	114,716		$	15,812		$	5,162		$	20,974
The estimated aggregate amortization expense for intangible assets with definite useful lives for each of the next five fiscal years is as follows (in thousands):
2014	$	11,569
2015	19,376
2016	18,498
2017	15,876
2018	12,244
Other Assets
	December 31,
(in thousands)	2013			2012
Cost method investment	$	16,884		$	14,494
Income taxes receivable	21,128			—
Other	714			2,287
	$	38,726		$	16,781
Cost Method Investment
On September 28, 2010, we completed a $3 million investment in a rapidly developing organic light emitting diode (also known as OLED) equipment company (the “Investment”). We invested an additional $10.3 million and $1.2 million in the Investment during 2012 and 2011, respectively. In 2013, we invested an additional $2.4 million in the Investment in the form of bridge notes bearing 4% interest. The bridge notes are payable in equity at the time of a liquidity event or a qualifying equity investment round, otherwise they are payable in cash in June 2014.  As of December 31, 2013, we have a 15.4% ownership of the preferred shares, and effectively hold a 11.0% ownership interest of the total company. Since we do not exert significant influence on the Investment, this investment is treated under the cost method in accordance with applicable accounting guidance. This investment is recorded in other assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012.
Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
	December 31,
(in thousands)	2013			2012
Payroll and related benefits	$	11,020		$	14,581
Sales, use and other taxes	5,402			6,480
Contingent consideration	20,098			—
Warranty	5,662			4,942
Restructuring liability	533			1,875
Other	8,369			13,523
	$	51,084		$	41,401
Customer deposits and deferred revenue
As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, we had customer deposits of $27.5 million and $32.7 million, respectively recorded as a component of customer deposits and deferred revenue.
Accrued Warranty
Typically, we provide our customers a one year manufacturer’s warranty from the date of final acceptance on the products they purchase from us. We estimate the costs that may be incurred under the warranty we provide for our products and recognize a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the related revenue is recognized. Factors that affect our warranty liability include product failure rates, material usage and labor costs incurred in correcting product failures during the warranty period. Changes in our warranty liability during the year are as follows:
	December 31,
	2013			2012
Balance as of the beginning of year	$	4,942		$	8,731
Warranties issued during the year	5,291			3,563
Settlements made during the year	(5,580		)	(7,060		)
Changes in estimate during the period	1,009			(292		)
Balance as of the end of year	$	5,662		$	4,942
Other Liabilities
	December 31,
(in thousands)	2013			2012
Contingent consideration	$	9,270		$	—
Income taxes payable	—			3,986
Other	379			544
	$	9,649		$	4,530
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The components of accumulated other comprehensive income are:
As of December 31, 2013	Gross			Taxes			Net
Translation adjustments	$	5,718		$	(392	)	$	5,326
Minimum pension liability	(1,160		)	424			(736		)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities	49			(18		)	31
Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	4,607		$	14		$	4,621
As of December 31, 2012	Gross			Taxes			Net
Translation adjustments	$	7,040		$	(339	)	$	6,701
Minimum pension liability	(1,285		)	510			(775		)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities	76			(29		)	47
Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	5,831		$	142		$	5,973

Debt

Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt	'
Debt	'
	7.  Debt
	Long-Term Debt
	Long-term debt as of December 31, 2013, consists of a mortgage note payable, which is secured by certain land and buildings with carrying amounts aggregating approximately $4.7 million and $4.8 million as of December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively. The mortgage note payable ($2.1 million as of December 31, 2013 and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2012) bears interest at an annual rate of 7.91%, with the final payment due on January 1, 2020. We estimate the fair market value of this note as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $2.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively.
	Maturity of Long-Term Debt
	Long-term debt matures as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	290
	2015	314
	2016	340
	2017	368
	2018	398
	Thereafter	427
		2,137
	Less current portion	290
		$	1,847
	Convertible Notes
	In 2011, we retired our convertible notes which were initially convertible into 36.7277 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equivalent to a conversion price of $27.23 per share or a premium of 38% over the closing market price for Veeco’s common stock on April 16, 2007). We paid interest on these notes on April 15 and October 15 of each year. The notes were unsecured and were effectively subordinated to all of our senior and secured indebtedness and to all indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.
	During the first quarter of 2011, at the option of the holders, $7.5 million of notes were tendered for conversion at a price of $45.95 per share in a net share settlement. We paid the principal amount of $7.5 million in cash and issued 111,318 shares of our common stock. We recorded a loss on extinguishment totaling $0.3 million related to these transactions.
	During the second quarter of 2011, we issued a notice of redemption on the remaining outstanding principal balance of notes outstanding. As a result, at the option of the holders, the notes were tendered for conversion at a price of $50.59 per share, calculated as defined in the indenture relating to the notes, in a net share settlement. As a result, we paid the principal amount of $98.1 million in cash and issued 1,660,095 shares of our common stock. We recorded a loss on extinguishment totaling $3.0 million related to these transactions.
	Certain accounting guidance requires a portion of convertible debt to be allocated to equity. This guidance requires issuers of convertible debt that can be settled in cash to separately account for (i.e. bifurcate) a portion of the debt associated with the conversion feature and reclassify this portion to equity. The liability portion, which represents the fair value of the debt without the conversion feature, is accreted to its face value over the life of the debt using the effective interest method by amortizing the discount between the face amount and the fair value. The amortization is recorded as interest expense. Our convertible notes were subject to this accounting guidance. This additional interest expense did not require the use of cash.
	The components of interest expense recorded on the notes were as follows (in thousands):
		For the year ended
		December 31,
		2011
	Contractual interest	$	2,025
	Accretion of the discount on the notes	1,260
	Total interest expense on the notes	$	3,285
	Effective interest rate	6.7		%

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity Compensation Plans and Equity	'
Equity Compensation Plans and Equity	'
	8.  Equity Compensation Plans and Equity
	Stock Option and Restricted Stock Plans
	We have several stock option and restricted stock plans. In connection with our acquisition of Synos Technology, Inc. on October 1, 2013, the Board of Directors granted equity awards to the Synos employees. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rules, the equity awards were granted under our 2013 Inducement Stock Incentive Plan (the “Inducement Plan”), which the Board of Directors adopted to facilitate the granting of equity awards as an inducement to these employees to commence employment with us. We issued 124,500 stock options and 87,000 restricted stock units under this plan. The stock options will vest over a three year period and have a 10-year term and the restricted stock units will vest over a two or four year period. As of December 31, 2013, the Inducement Plan was effectively merged into the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan (as amended to date, the “2010 Plan”), and is therefore considered an inactive plan with no further shares available for future grant. As of December 31, 2013, there are 124,500 options outstanding under the Inducement Plan.
	On April 1, 2010, our Board of Directors, and on May 14, 2010, our shareholders, approved the 2010 Plan. The 2010 Plan replaced the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2000 Plan”), as the Company’s active stock plan. Our employees, directors and consultants are eligible to receive awards under the 2010 Plan. The 2010 Plan permits the granting of a variety of awards, including both non-qualified and incentive stock options, share appreciation rights, restricted shares, restricted share units and dividend equivalent rights. We are authorized to issue up to 6,750,000 shares under the 2010 Plan, including an additional 3,250,000 shares (including up to 2,995,000 shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2010 Plan and up to 255,000 shares underlying awards granted under the Inducement Plan) that were approved by the shareholders on December 10, 2013. Option awards are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the closing price of our stock on the trading day prior to the date of grant; those option awards generally vest over a 3 year period and have a 7 or 10-year term. Restricted share awards generally vest over 1-5 years. Certain option and share awards provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control, as defined in the 2010 Plan. As of December 31, 2013, there are 1,746,092 options outstanding under the 2010 Plan.
	The 2000 Plan was approved by our Board of Directors and shareholders in May 2000. The 2000 Plan provides for the grant to officers and key employees of stock awards, either in the form of options to purchase shares of our common stock or restricted stock awards. Stock awards granted pursuant to the 2000 Plan expire after seven years and generally vest over a two-year to five-year period following the grant date. In addition, the 2000 Plan provides for automatic annual grants of restricted stock to each member of our Board of Directors who is not an employee. As of December 31, 2013, there are 727,552 options outstanding under the 2000 Plan.
	Equity-Based Compensation Expense, Stock Option and Restricted Stock Activity
	Equity-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as expense over the employee requisite service period.  We recorded equity compensation expense of $13.1 million, $14.3 million and $12.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. We did not capitalize any equity compensation in the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
	During the year ended December 31, 2011, we discontinued our CIGS solar systems business and as a result the equity-based compensation expense related to each CIGS solar systems business employee has been classified as discontinued operations in determining the consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2011 discontinued operations included compensation expense of $0.7 million.
	As of December 31, 2013, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock awards and option awards expected to vest is $33.2 million and $12.3 million, respectively, and the related weighted average period over which it is expected that such unrecognized compensation costs will be recognized is approximately 3.1 years and 2.2 years for the nonvested stock awards and for option awards, respectively.
	The fair value of each option granted during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:
		For the year ended December 31,
		2013		2012		2011
	Weighted-average expected stock-price volatility	48	%	59	%	55	%
	Weighted-average expected option life	5 years		5 years		4 years
	Average risk-free interest rate	1.27	%	0.7	%	1.4	%
	Average dividend yield	0	%	0	%	0	%
	A summary of our restricted stock awards including restricted stock units as of December 31, 2013 is presented below:
				Weighted-
				Average
		Shares		Grant-Date
		(000’s)		Fair Value
	Nonvested as of December 31, 2012	693		$	36.11
	Granted	798		33.16
	Vested	(207	)	32.44
	Forfeited (including cancelled awards)	(126	)	34.33
	Nonvested as of December 31, 2013	1,158		$	34.93
	During the year ended December 31, 2013, we granted 797,583 shares of restricted common stock and restricted stock units to key employees, which generally vest over a four year period. Included in this grant were 16,165 shares of restricted common stock granted to the non-employee members of the Board of Directors, which vest over the lesser of one year or at the time of the next annual meeting. The vested shares include the impact of 71,342 shares of restricted stock which were cancelled in 2013 due to employees electing to receive fewer shares in lieu of paying withholding taxes. The total fair value of shares that vested during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $7.9 million, $5.4 million and $9.7 million, respectively.
	A summary of our stock option plans as of the year ended December 31, 2013 is presented below:
										Weighted-
										Average
				Weighted-						Remaining
				Average			Aggregate			Contractual
		Shares		Exercise			Intrinsic			Life
		(000’s)		Price			Value (000’s)			(in years)
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2012	2,322		$	28.63
	Granted	539		32.68
	Exercised	(149	)	14.74
	Forfeited (including cancelled options)	(114	)	35.22
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	2,598		$	29.98		$	14,277		6.5
	Options exercisable as of December 31, 2013	1,567		$	27.19		$	13,208		4.7
	The weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $13.47, $15.56 and $21.90 per option, respectively. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $2.5 million, $6.8 million and $22.8 million, respectively.
	The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2013:
		Options Outstanding							Options Exercisable
		Number		Weighted-Average		Weighted-			Number		Weighted-
		Outstanding at		Remaining		Average			Exercisable at		Average
		December 31,		Contractual Life		Exercise			December 31,		Exercise
	Range of Exercise Prices	2013 (000s)		(in years)		Price			2013 (000s)		Price
	$8.82 - 16.37	432		2.4		$	10.98		432		$	10.98
	17.48 - 26.69	296		2.2		19.85			278		19.55
	28.60 - 42.96	1,601		8.2		33.43			674		34.27
	44.09 - 51.70	269		7.4		51.02			183		50.96
		2,598		6.5		$	29.98		1,567		$	27.19
	Shares Reserved for Future Issuance
	As of December 31, 2013, we have 5,856,268 shares reserved for future issuance upon exercise of stock options and grants of restricted stock.
	Preferred Stock
	Our Board of Directors has authority under our Certificate of Incorporation to issue shares of preferred stock with voting and economic rights to be determined by the Board of Directors.
	Treasury Stock
	On August 24, 2010, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $200 million of our common stock. All funds for this repurchase program were exhausted as of August 19, 2011. Repurchases were made from time to time on the open market in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. During 2011, we purchased 4,160,228 shares for $162 million (including transaction costs) under the program at an average cost of $38.96 per share. During 2010, we purchased 1,118,600 shares for $38 million (including transaction costs) under the program at an average cost of $34.06 per share. This stock repurchase is included as treasury stock in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we cancelled and retired the 5,278,828 shares of treasury stock we purchased under this repurchase program. As a result of this transaction, we recorded a reduction in treasury stock of $200.2 million and a corresponding reduction of $200.1 million and $0.1 million in retained earnings and common stock, respectively.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Taxes	'
Income Taxes	'
	9.  Income Taxes
	Our income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations consists of (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Domestic	$	(84,942	)	$	5,811		$	230,204
	Foreign	13,732			32,375			41,882
		$	(71,210	)	$	38,186		$	272,086
	Significant components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes from continuing operations are presented below (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Current:
	Federal	$	(21,022	)	$	2,515		$	59,921
	Foreign	3,921			7,576			10,714
	State and local	148			(317		)	805
	Total current provision (benefit) for income taxes	(16,953		)	9,774			71,440
	Deferred:
	Federal	(11,589		)	(482		)	10,454
	Foreign	(462		)	727			(1,073		)
	State and local	57			1,638			763
	Total deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	(11,994		)	1,883			10,144
	Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	$	(28,947	)	$	11,657		$	81,584
	The following is a reconciliation of the income tax provision (benefit) computed using the Federal statutory rate to our actual income tax provision (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Income tax provision (benefit) at U.S. statutory rates	$	(24,923	)	$	13,366		$	95,231
	State income tax expense (benefit), net of federal impact	(1,554		)	(89		)	1,616
	Nondeductible expenses	195			622			(749		)
	Domestic production activities deduction	1,554			(489		)	(4,581		)
	Nondeductible compensation	11			205			841
	Research and development tax credit	(3,151		)	(3,013		)	(4,675		)
	Net change in valuation allowance	2,420			2,943			121
	Change in accrual for unrecognized tax benefits	577			533			824
	Foreign tax rate differential	(4,275		)	(2,387		)	(5,225		)
	Other	199			(34		)	(1,819		)
	Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	$	(28,947	)	$	11,657		$	81,584
	On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, and this legislation retroactively extended the research and development tax credit for 2 years, from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. Income tax benefit for 2013 includes $1.9 million for the entire benefit of the research and development tax credit attributable to 2012.
	During the fourth quarter of 2012, we determined that we may not meet the criteria required to receive a certain incentive tax rate pursuant to a negotiated tax holiday in one foreign jurisdiction. Although we are continuing to negotiate the criteria for the incentive, for financial reporting purposes we have recorded additional tax provisions of $0.9 million and $4.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, totaling $4.9 million which represents the cumulative effect of calculating the tax provision using the incentive tax rate as compared to the foreign country’s statutory rate. If we successfully renegotiate the incentive criteria, this additional tax provision could be reversed as a future benefit in the period in which the successful negotiations are finalized.
	Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes.
	On October 1, 2013, we acquired 100% of Synos’s total outstanding stock. In connection with the acquisition, we recorded a $32.4 million deferred tax liability related to the difference between the financial reporting amount and the tax basis of the assets acquired.
	During 2012, we recorded a current tax benefit of $2.1 million related to equity-based compensation which was a credit to additional paid in capital. We did not record any tax benefits related to equity-based compensation during 2013.  We will credit $0.5 million to additional paid-in capital when the research and development credits are realized for financial reporting purposes.
	Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Deferred tax assets:
	Inventory valuation	$	6,983		$	6,386
	Domestic net operating loss carry forwards	5,585			1,144
	Tax credit carry forwards	12,566			4,145
	Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	821			—
	Warranty and installation accruals	3,002			2,174
	Equity compensation	10,638			9,114
	Other accruals	2,556			3,270
	Other	1,160			760
	Total deferred tax assets	43,311			26,993
	Valuation allowance	(7,753		)	(4,708		)
	Net deferred tax assets	35,558			22,285
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Purchased intangible assets	45,208			9,973
	Undistributed earnings	1,737			1,095
	Depreciation	4,711			7,014
	Total deferred tax liabilities	51,656			18,082
	Net deferred taxes	$	(16,098	)	$	4,203
	No provision has been made as of December 31, 2013 for United States or additional foreign withholding taxes on approximately $101.0 million of undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries because it is the present intention of management to permanently reinvest the undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. As it is our intention to reinvest those earnings permanently, it is not practicable to estimate the amount of tax that might be payable if they were remitted. In the fourth quarter of 2013, we changed our assertion relating to Japan and such earnings will no longer be permanently reinvested based on the future liquidation of our Japanese entity. We have provided deferred income taxes and future withholding taxes on the earnings that we anticipate will be remitted.
	As of December 31, 2013, we have credit carry forwards of approximately $12.6 million for financial reporting purposes, consisting primarily of foreign tax credits, which expire between 2022 and 2023, federal research and development credits which expire between 2031 and 2033, and various state tax credits which expire at various dates through 2028.
Our valuation allowance of approximately $7.8 million as of December 31, 2013 increased by approximately $3.0 million during the year then ended. The increase relates primarily to state and local deferred tax assets of $1.6 million and foreign tax attributes of $1.4 million for which we could not conclude were realizable on a more-likely-than-not basis.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):
	December 31,
	2013			2012
Beginning balance as of December 31	$	5,818		$	4,748
Additions for tax positions related to current year	324			435
Reductions for tax positions related to current year	—			—
Additions for tax positions related to prior years	477			742
Reductions for tax positions related to prior years	(224		)	(59		)
Reductions due to the lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	—			(48		)
Settlements	(167		)	—
Ending balance as of December 31	$	6,228		$	5,818
We do not anticipate that our uncertain tax position will change significantly within the next twelve months subject to the completion of our ongoing federal tax audit and any resultant settlement.
Of the amounts reflected in the table above as of December 31, 2013, the entire amount if recognized would reduce our effective tax rate.  It is our policy to recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. The total accrual for interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits was approximately $0.8 million and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
We or one of our subsidiaries file income tax returns in the United States federal jurisdiction and various state, local and foreign jurisdictions. All material federal income tax matters have been concluded for years through 2006 subject to subsequent utilization of net operating losses generated in such years. Our 2010 federal tax return is currently under examination. All material state and local income tax matters have been reviewed through 2008 with one state jurisdiction currently under examination for open tax years between 2007 and 2011. The majority of our foreign jurisdictions have been reviewed through 2009. Principally all of our foreign jurisdictions remain open with respect to the 2010 through 2013 tax years.

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters	'
Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters	'
	10.  Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters
	Restructuring and Other Charges
	During 2011 through 2013, in response to challenging business conditions, we initiated activities to reduce and contain spending, including reducing our workforce, consultants and discretionary expenses.
	In conjunction with these activities, we recognized restructuring charges of approximately $1.5 million, $3.8 million and $1.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, we also recorded inventory write-offs of $1.0 million related to a discontinued product line in our Data Storage segment and $0.8 million related to a discontinued product line in our LED & Solar segment, respectively. These inventory write-offs are included in cost of sales in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	Restructuring expense for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are as follows (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Personnel severance and related costs	$	1,485		$	3,040		$	1,288
	Equity compensation and related costs	—			414			—
	Lease-related and other	—			359			—
		$	1,485		$	3,813		$	1,288
	Personnel Severance and Related Costs
	During 2013, we recorded $1.5 million in personnel severance and related costs resulting from the restructuring of one of our international sales offices and the consolidation of certain sales, business and administrative functions. During 2012, we recorded $3.0 million in personnel severance and related costs resulting from a headcount reduction of 52 employees. During 2011, we recorded $1.3 million in personnel severance and related costs related to a companywide reorganization resulting in a headcount reduction of 65 employees. These reductions in workforce included executives, management, administration, sales and service personnel and manufacturing employees’ companywide.
	Lease-Related and Other
	During 2012, we recorded $0.4 million in other associated costs resulting from a headcount reduction of 52 employees. These charges primarily consist of job placement services, consulting and relocation expenses, as well as duplicate wages incurred during the transition period.
	The following is a reconciliation of the liability for the 2013, 2012 and 2011 restructuring charges through December 31, 2013 (in thousands):
		LED & Solar			Data Storage			Unallocated			Total
	Short-term liability
	Balance as of January 1, 2011	$	—		$	178		$	536		$	714
	Personnel severance and related costs 2011	672			51			311			1,034
	Personnel severance and related costs 2012	874			1,684			135			2,693
	Personnel severance and related costs 2013	1,017			410			58			1,485
	Short-term/long-term reclassification 2011	—			58			—			58
	Cash payments 2011	(138		)	(159		)	(553		)	(850		)
	Cash payments 2012	(960		)	(504		)	(310		)	(1,774		)
	Cash payments 2013	(1,282		)	(1,368		)	(177		)	(2,827		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	183		$	350		$	—		$	533
	Long-term liability
	Balance as of January 1, 2011	$	—		$	58		$	—		$	58
	Short-term/long-term reclassification 2011	—			(58		)	—			(58		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
	Minimum Lease Commitments
	Minimum lease commitments as of December 31, 2013 for property and equipment under operating lease agreements (exclusive of renewal options) are payable as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	3,076
	2015	2,091
	2016	1,327
	2017	1,052
	2018	536
		$	8,082
	Rent amounted to $2.9 million, $3.5 million and $2.7 million in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. In addition, we are obligated under such leases for certain other expenses, including real estate taxes and insurance.
	Environmental Remediation
	We are aware that petroleum hydrocarbon contamination has been detected in the soil at the site of a facility formerly leased by us in Santa Barbara, California. We have been indemnified for any liabilities we may incur which arise from environmental contamination at the site. Even without consideration of such indemnification, we do not believe that any material loss or expense is probable in connection with any such liabilities. The former owner of the land and building in Santa Barbara, California in which our former Metrology operations were located, which business (sold to Bruker on October 7, 2010), has disclosed that there are hazardous substances present in the ground under the building. Management believes that the comprehensive indemnification clause that was part of the purchase contract relating to the purchase of such land provides adequate protection against any environmental issues that may arise. We have provided Bruker indemnification as part of the sale.
	Litigation
	Veeco and certain other parties were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed on April 25, 2013 in the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Patrick Colbus, seeks unspecified damages and asserts claims that he suffered burns and other injuries while he was cleaning a molecular beam epitaxy system alleged to have been manufactured by Veeco. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the molecular beam epitaxy system was defective and that Veeco failed to adequately warn of the potential risks of the system. Veeco believes this lawsuit is without merit and intends to defend vigorously against the claims.  Veeco is unable to predict the outcome of this action or to reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss, if any, arising from the claims asserted therein.  The Company believes that, in the event of any recovery by the plaintiff from Veeco, such recovery would be fully covered by Veeco’s insurance.
	We are involved in various other legal proceedings arising in the normal course of our business. We do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	Concentrations of Credit Risk
	Our business depends in large part upon the capital expenditures of our top ten customers, which accounted for 69% and 77% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Of such, LED & Solar and Data Storage customers accounted for approximately 30% and 39%, and 56% and 21%, respectively, of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2013 and 2012.
	Customers who accounted for more than 10% of our aggregate accounts receivable or net sales are as follows:
				Accounts Receivable				Net Sales for the year ended
				December 31,				December 31,
	Customer	Segment		2013		2012		2013		2012		2011
	Customer A	Data Storage		23	%	16	%	*		14	%	*
	Customer B	Data Storage		11	%	*		*		*		*
	Customer C	LED & Solar		10	%	16	%	14	%	*		*
	Customer D	LED & Solar		*		*		*		*		11	%
	Customer E	LED & Solar		*		*		*		*		12	%
	* Less than 10% of aggregate accounts receivable or net sales.
	We manufacture and sell our products to companies in different geographic locations. In certain instances, we require deposits for a portion of the sales price in advance of shipment. We perform periodic credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition and, where appropriate, require that letters of credit be provided on certain foreign sales arrangements. Receivables generally are due within 30-90 days, other than receivables generated from customers in Japan where payment terms generally range from 60-150 days. Our net accounts receivable balance is concentrated in the following geographic locations (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	China	$	4,845		$	28,132
	Singapore	3,192			7,266
	Taiwan	553			6,390
Other	6,162			3,853
Asia Pacific	14,752			45,641
Americas	7,526			13,917
Europe, Middle East and Africa	1,545			3,611
	$	23,823		$	63,169
Suppliers
We currently outsource certain functions to third parties, including the manufacture of all or substantially all of our new MOCVD systems, Data Storage systems and ion sources. We primarily rely on several suppliers for the manufacturing of these systems. We plan to maintain some level of internal manufacturing capability for these systems. The failure of our present suppliers to meet their contractual obligations under our supply arrangements and our inability to make alternative arrangements or resume the manufacture of these systems ourselves could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, profitability, cash flows and relationships with our customers.
In addition, certain of the components and sub-assemblies included in our products are obtained from a single source or a limited group of suppliers. Our inability to develop alternative sources, if necessary, could result in a prolonged interruption in supply or a significant increase in the price of one or more components, which could adversely affect our operating results.
Purchase Commitments
As of December 31, 2013, we had purchase commitments totaling $60.3 million all of which come due within one year. We have $9.4 million of offsetting supplier deposits against these purchase commitments as of December 31, 2013.
Lines of Credit and Guarantees
As of December 31, 2013, we had letter of credit and bank guarantees issued by a bank on our behalf as needed. We had letters of credit outstanding of $0.6 million and bank guarantees outstanding of $5.9 million, of which, $2.7 million is collateralized against cash that is restricted from use. As of December 31, 2013, we had $40.4 million of unused lines of credit available. The line of credit is available to draw upon to cover performance bonds as required by our customers.

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information	'
Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information	'
	11.  Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information
	Net sales which are attributed to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived tangible assets related to operations in the United States and other foreign countries as of and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are as follows (in thousands):
		Net Sales to Unaffiliated
		Customers									Long-Lived Tangible Assets
		2013			2012			2011			2013			2012		2011
	Americas (1)	$	57,609		$	83,317		$	100,635		$	66,002		$	74,497	$	67,788
	Europe, Middle East and Africa (1)	21,941			41,708			57,617			95			36		203
	Asia Pacific (1)	252,199			390,995			820,883			23,042			23,769		20,417
		$	331,749		$	516,020		$	979,135		$	89,139		$	98,302	$	88,408
	(1) For the year ended December 31, 2013, net sales to customers in China were 44.8% of total net sales. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net sales to customers in China and Taiwan were 42.0% and 11.4% of total net sales, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2011, net sales to customers in China were 66.4% of total net sales. No other country in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) and Asia Pacific (“APAC”) accounted for more than 10% of our net sales for the years presented. A minimal amount, less than 1%, of sales included within the Americas caption above have been derived from other regions outside of the United States.
	We have five identified reporting units that we aggregate into two reportable segments: the VIBE and Mechanical reporting units which are reported in our Data Storage segment; and the MOCVD, MBE and ALD reporting units are reported in our LED & Solar segment.  We manage the business, review operating results and assess performance, as well as allocate resources, based upon our reporting units that reflect the market focus of each business. The LED & Solar segment consists of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (“MOCVD”) systems, molecular beam epitaxy (“MBE”) systems, thermal deposition sources and other types of deposition systems as well as newly acquired atomic layer deposition (“ALD”) technology. These systems are primarily sold to customers in the LED, OLED and solar industries, as well as to scientific research customers. This segment has product development and marketing sites in Somerset, New Jersey, Poughkeepsie, New York, St. Paul, Minnesota, Fremont, California, and Korea. During 2011 we discontinued our CIGS solar systems business, located in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and Clifton Park, New York. The Data Storage segment consists of the ion beam etch, ion beam deposition, diamond-like carbon, physical vapor deposition, and dicing and slicing products sold primarily to customers in the data storage industry. This segment has product development and marketing sites in Plainview, New York, Ft. Collins, Colorado and Camarillo, California.
	We evaluate the performance of our reportable segments based on income (loss) from operations before interest, income taxes, amortization and certain items (“segment profit (loss)”), which is the primary indicator used to plan and forecast future periods. The presentation of this financial measure facilitates meaningful comparison with prior periods, as management believes segment profit (loss) reports baseline performance and thus provides useful information. Certain items include restructuring expenses, asset impairment charges, inventory write-offs, equity-based compensation expense and other non-recurring items. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of critical accounting policies.
	The following tables present certain data pertaining to our reportable product segments and a reconciliation of segment profit (loss) to income (loss) from continuing operations, before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and goodwill and total assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 (in thousands):
					Data
		LED & Solar			Storage			Unallocated			Total
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Net sales	$	249,742		$	82,007		$	—		$	331,749
	Segment loss	$	(26,362	)	$	(671	)	$	(22,588	)	$	(49,621	)
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			602			602
	Amortization	(4,233		)	(1,294		)	—			(5,527		)
	Equity-based compensation	(5,126		)	(1,703		)	(6,301		)	(13,130		)
	Restructuring	(1,017		)	(410		)	(58		)	(1,485		)
	Asset impairment charge	(1,174		)	(46		)	—			(1,220		)
	Changes in contingent consideration	(829		)	—			—			(829		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(38,741	)	$	(4,124	)	$	(28,345	)	$	(71,210	)
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Net sales	$	363,181		$	152,839		$	—		$	516,020
	Segment profit (loss)	$	41,603		$	25,414		$	(4,919	)	$	62,098
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			974			974
	Amortization	(3,586		)	(1,322		)	—			(4,908		)
	Equity-based compensation	(5,400		)	(1,920		)	(6,534		)	(13,854		)
	Restructuring	(1,233		)	(2,521		)	(59		)	(3,813		)
	Asset impairment charge	—			(1,335		)	—			(1,335		)
	Other	—			(976		)	—			(976		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	31,384		$	17,340		$	(10,538	)	$	38,186
	Year ended December 31, 2011
	Net sales	$	827,797		$	151,338		$	—		$	979,135
	Segment profit (loss)	$	267,059		$	38,358		$	(8,987	)	$	296,430
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			(824		)	(824		)
	Amortization	(3,227		)	(1,424		)	(83		)	(4,734		)
	Equity-based compensation	(3,473		)	(1,458		)	(7,876		)	(12,807		)
	Restructuring	(204		)	(12		)	(1,072		)	(1,288		)
	Asset impairment charge	(584		)	—			—			(584		)
	Other	(758		)	—			—			(758		)
	Loss on extinguishment of debt	—			—			(3,349		)	(3,349		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	258,813		$	35,464		$	(22,191	)	$	272,086
	Unallocated assets are comprised principally of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2013 and 2012.
		LED & Solar			Data Storage			Unallocated			Total
	As of December 31, 2013
	Goodwill	$	91,348		$	—		$	—		$	91,348
	Total assets	$	359,464		$	37,910		$	550,595		$	947,969
	As of December 31, 2012
	Goodwill	$	55,828		$	—		$	—		$	55,828
	Total assets	$	276,352		$	38,664		$	622,288		$	937,304
	Other Segment Data (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Depreciation and amortization expense:
	LED & Solar	$	14,365		$	12,020		$	8,320
	Data Storage	2,907			3,008			3,245
	Unallocated	1,153			1,164			1,327
	Total depreciation and amortization expense	$	18,425		$	16,192		$	12,892
	Expenditures for long-lived assets:
LED & Solar	$	6,796		$	20,279		$	56,141
Data Storage	1,271			3,341			2,703
Unallocated	1,108			1,374			1,520
Total expenditures for long-lived assets	$	9,175		$	24,994		$	60,364

Derivative_Financial_Instrumen

Derivative Financial Instruments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative Financial Instruments	'
Derivative Financial Instruments	'
	12.  Derivative Financial Instruments
	We use derivative financial instruments to minimize the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on earnings and cash flows. In the normal course of business, our operations are exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. In order to reduce the effect of fluctuating foreign currencies on short-term foreign currency-denominated intercompany transactions and other known foreign currency exposures, we enter into monthly forward contracts. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. Our forward contracts are not expected to subject us to material risks due to exchange rate movements because gains and losses on these contracts are intended to offset exchange gains and losses on the underlying assets and liabilities. The forward contracts are marked-to-market through earnings. We conduct our derivative transactions with highly rated financial institutions in an effort to mitigate any material counterparty risk.
		As of December 31, 2013
			Fair		Maturity		Notional
	(in thousands)	Component of	Value		Dates		Amount
	Not Designated as Hedges under ASC 815
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Prepaid and other current assets	1		January 2014		4,700
	Foreign currency collar	Prepaid and other current assets	906		October 2014		34,069
	Total Derivative Instruments		$	907			$	38,769
		As of December 31, 2012
			Fair		Maturity		Notional
	(in thousands)	Component of	Value		Dates		Amount
	Not Designated as Hedges under ASC 815
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Prepaid and other current assets	248		January 2013		9,590
	Total Derivative Instruments		$	248			$	9,590
			Amount of realized net gain (loss)
			and changes in the fair value of
		Location of realized net gain	derivatives for the year ended
		(loss) and changes in the fair	December 31,
	(in thousands)	value of derivatives	2013		2012			2011
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Other, net	$	248	$	333		$	553
	Foreign currency collar	Other, net	$	906	$	—		$	—
	These contracts were valued using market quotes in the secondary market for similar instruments (fair value Level 2, please see our footnote Fair Value Measurements).
	The weighted average notional amount of derivative contracts outstanding during the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $5.2 million and $3.5 million, respectively

Retirement_Plans

Retirement Plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Retirement Plans	'
Retirement Plans	'
	13.  Retirement Plans
	We maintain a defined contribution benefit plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Almost all of our domestic full-time employees are eligible to participate in this plan. Under the plan during 2011, we provided matching contributions of fifty cents for every dollar employees contribute up to a maximum of $3,000. During 2012, we provided matching contributions of fifty cents for every dollar employees contribute, up to the lesser of 3% of the employee’s eligible compensation or $7,500. During 2013, we provided a matching contributions of fifty cents for every dollar employees contribute, up to the lesser of 3% of the employee’s eligible compensation or $7,650. Generally, the plan calls for vesting of Company contributions over the initial five years of a participant’s employment. We maintain a similar type of contribution plan at one of our foreign subsidiaries. Our contributions to these plans in 2013, 2012 and 2011 were $2.3 million, $2.5 million and $2.1 million, respectively.
	We acquired a defined benefit plan on May 5, 2000 that had been frozen as of September 30, 1991. No further benefits since September 30, 1991 accrued to any participant. The benefit that participants are entitled to receive as of their normal retirement date is their accrued benefit as of September 30, 1991. In connection with the freezing of the Plan as of September 30, 1991, all participants became fully vested in their benefit. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). This plan has a plan year end of September 30.  There are 110 participants in the plan as of September 30, 2013. The plan is funded in accordance with ERISA guidelines and has $1.6  million in contract assets as of September 30, 2013.

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I

Selected Quarterly Financial Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)	'
Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)	'
	14.  Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)
	The following table presents selected unaudited financial data for each fiscal quarter of 2013 and 2012. Although unaudited, this information has been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and, in the opinion of our management, reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of this information in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Such quarterly results are not necessarily indicative of future results of operations.
		Fiscal 2013 (unaudited)												Fiscal 2012 (unaudited)
	(in thousands, except per share data)	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4			Q1			Q2		Q3		Q4
	Net sales	$	61,781		$	97,435		$	99,324		$	73,209		$	139,909		$	136,547	$	132,715	$	106,849
	Gross profit	22,552			34,640			30,308			15,642			65,268			61,254		49,884		38,727
	Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income taxes	(10,071		)	(4,081		)	(6,026		)	(22,085		)	16,462			11,011		7,698		(8,642		)
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	—			—			—			—			(50		)	807		4,055		(413		)
	Net income (loss)	$	(10,071	)	$	(4,081	)	$	(6,026	)	$	(22,085	)	$	16,412		$	11,818	$	11,753	$	(9,055	)
	Income (loss) per common share:
	Basic:
	Continuing operations	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.43		$	0.29	$	0.2	$	(0.22	)
	Discontinued operations	—			—			—			—			—			0.02		0.1		(0.01		)
	Income (loss)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.43		$	0.31	$	0.3	$	(0.23	)
	Diluted :
	Continuing operations	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.42		$	0.28	$	0.2	$	(0.22	)
	Discontinued operations	—			—			—			—			—			0.02		0.1		(0.01		)
	Income (loss)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.42		$	0.3	$	0.3	$	(0.23	)
	Weighted average shares outstanding:
	Basic	38,716			38,764			38,841			38,904			38,261			38,370		38,577		38,698
	Diluted	38,716			38,764			38,841			38,904			38,863			38,988		39,169		38,698
	A variety of factors influence the level of our net sales in a particular quarter including economic conditions in the LED, solar, data storage and semiconductor industries, the timing of significant orders, shipment delays, specific feature requests by customers, the introduction of new products by us and our competitors, production and quality problems, changes in material costs, disruption in sources of supply, seasonal patterns of capital spending by customers, interpretation and application of accounting principles, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, we derive a substantial portion of our revenues from the sale of products with a selling price of up to $8.0 million. As a result, the timing of recognition of revenue from a single transaction could have a significant impact on our net sales and operating results in any given quarter.
	Synos Acquisition
	On October 1, 2013 (“the Acquisition Date”), Veeco acquired 100% of the outstanding common shares and voting interest of Synos. The results of Synos’ operations have been included in the consolidated financial statements since that date. Synos is an early stage manufacturer of fast array scanning atomic layer deposition (“FAST-ALD”) tools for OLED and other applications. As a result of the acquisition, the Company has entered the FAST-ALD market which is complimentary to the Company’s MOCVD LED offerings.
	Metrology Divestiture
	On August 15, 2010, we signed a definitive agreement to sell our Metrology business to Bruker comprising our entire Metrology reporting segment for $229.4 million. Accordingly, Metrology’s operating results are accounted for as discontinued operations in determining the consolidated results of operations. The sale transaction closed on October 7, 2010, except for assets located in China due to local restrictions. Total proceeds, which included a working capital adjustment of $1 million, totaled $230.4 million of which $7.2 million relates to the assets in China. As part of our agreement with Bruker, $22.9 million of proceeds was held in escrow and was restricted from use for one year following the closing date of the transaction to secure certain specified losses arising out of breaches of representations, warranties and covenants we made in the stock purchase agreement and related documents. The restriction relating to the escrowed proceeds was released on October 6, 2011. As part of the sale we incurred transaction costs, which consisted of investment banking fees and legal fees, totaling $5.2 million. During the fourth quarter of 2010, we recognized a pre-tax gain on disposal of $156.3 million and a pre-tax deferred gain of $5.4 million related to the assets in China.  We recognized into income the pre-tax deferred gain of $5.4 million during the third quarter of 2012 related to the completion of the sale of the assets in China to Bruker.
	Other Quarterly Items
	During the fourth quarter of 2013, we recorded asset impairment charges in LED & Solar of $0.9 million related to certain tools previously used in our laboratories carried in property, plant and equipment which we are holding for sale and $0.3 million related to another asset carried in other assets. During the fourth quarter of 2012, we recorded an asset impairment charge of $1.3 million related to a particular asset in our Data Storage segment.
	During 2012, we took measures to improve profitability, including a reduction in discretionary expenses, realignment of our senior management team and consolidation of certain sales, business and administrative functions. As a result of these actions, we recorded a $3.8 million restructuring charge consisting of $3.0 million in personnel severance and related costs, $0.4 million in equity compensation and related costs and $0.4 million in other severance costs resulting from a headcount reduction of 52 employees. We recorded $2.0 million of these charges in the third quarter of 2012 and $1.8 million of these charges in the fourth quarter of 2012 with the balance recorded in the first quarter of 2012.
	As a result of the delay in filing our Form 10-Q for September 30, 2012 (“Q3 10-Q”), we were required to evaluate the impact of events and circumstances occurring through the date of the filing of the Q3 10-Q. After considering declines in systems shipments and parts usage occurring though the date of the filing of the Q3 10-Q, we determined that an increase in our reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory was warranted and resulted in us recording a total charge of $7.2 million to cost of sales in the third quarter of 2012. The evaluation resulted in relatively lower provisions for inventory reserves over the first three quarters of 2013. We recorded a $1.8 million charge to cost of sales for inventory write downs in the fourth quarter of 2012 that related to a terminated program. The effect on the comparative statements above was to reduce gross profit for September 30, 2012 compared to all other periods presented.
	Out of Period Adjustment
	We identified net cumulative errors which overstated cumulative net income from continuing operations through December 31, 2011 by $0.6 million and net cumulative errors that understated net income from continuing operations in the six month period ended June 30, 2012 by $1.1 million. As a result, in the third quarter of 2012, we recorded adjustments to correct all prior periods resulting in an increase in income from continuing operations of $0.5 million.

Schedule_IIValuation_and_Quali

Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'
Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'
	Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (in thousands)
	COL. A	COL. B		COL. C				COL. D			COL. E
				Additions
		Balance at		Charged to		Charged to					Balance at
		Beginning		Costs and		Other					End of
	Description	of Period		Expenses		Accounts		Deductions			Period
	Deducted from asset accounts:
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	492	$	1,946	$	—	$	—		$	2,438
	Valuation allowance in net deferred tax assets	4,708		2,420		625		—			7,753
		$	5,200	$	4,366	$	625	$	—		$	10,191
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	468	$	198	$	—	$	(174	)	$	492
	Valuation allowance in net deferred tax assets	1,765		2,943		—		—			4,708
		$	2,233	$	3,141	$	—	$	(174	)	$	5,200
	Year ended December 31, 2011
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	512	$	—	$	—	$	(44	)	$	468
	Valuation allowance in net deferred tax assets	1,644		—		—		121			1,765
		$	2,156	$	—	$	—	$	77		$	2,233

Description_of_Business_and_Si1

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	'
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates made by management include: the best estimate of selling price for our products and services; allowance for doubtful accounts; inventory obsolescence; recoverability and useful lives of property, plant and equipment and identifiable intangible assets; investment valuations; fair value of derivatives; recoverability of goodwill and long lived assets; recoverability of deferred tax assets; liabilities for product warranty; accounting for acquisitions; accruals for contingencies; equity-based payments, including forfeitures and performance based vesting; and liabilities for tax uncertainties. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Principles of Consolidation	'
	Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Veeco and its subsidiaries. Intercompany items and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition
	We recognize revenue when all of the following criteria have been met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists with a customer; delivery of the specified products has occurred or services have been rendered; prices are contractually fixed or determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue is recorded including shipping and handling costs and excluding applicable taxes related to sales. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from contractual arrangements with customers that have multiple elements, such as systems, upgrades, components, spare parts, maintenance and service plans. For sales arrangements that contain multiple elements, we split the arrangement into separate units of accounting if the individually delivered elements have value to the customer on a standalone basis. We also evaluate whether multiple transactions with the same customer or related party should be considered part of a multiple element arrangement, whereby we assess, among other factors, whether the contracts or agreements are negotiated or executed within a short time frame of each other or if there are indicators that the contracts are negotiated in contemplation of each other. When we have separate units of accounting, we allocate revenue to each element based on the following selling price hierarchy: vendor-specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) if available; third party evidence (“TPE”) if VSOE is not available; or our best estimate of selling price (“BESP”) if neither VSOE nor TPE is available.  We utilize BESP for the majority of the elements in our arrangements. The accounting guidance for selling price hierarchy did not include BESP for arrangements entered into prior to January 1, 2011, and as such we recognized revenue for those arrangements as described below.
	We consider many facts when evaluating each of our sales arrangements to determine the timing of revenue recognition, including the contractual obligations, the customer’s creditworthiness and the nature of the customer’s post-delivery acceptance provisions.  Our system sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally include field acceptance provisions that may include functional or mechanical test procedures. For the majority of our arrangements, a customer source inspection of the system is performed in our facility or test data is sent to the customer documenting that the system is functioning to the agreed upon specifications prior to delivery. Historically, such source inspection or test data replicates the field acceptance provisions that will be performed at the customer’s site prior to final acceptance of the system. As such, we objectively demonstrate that the criteria specified in the contractual acceptance provisions are achieved prior to delivery and, therefore, we recognize revenue upon delivery since there is no substantive contingency remaining related to the acceptance provisions at that date, subject to the retention amount constraint described below.  For new products, new applications of existing products or for products with substantive customer acceptance provisions where we cannot objectively demonstrate that the criteria specified in the contractual acceptance provisions have been achieved prior to delivery, revenue and the associated costs are deferred and fully recognized upon the receipt of final customer acceptance, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.
	Our system sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally do not contain provisions for right of return or forfeiture, refund, or other purchase price concessions. In the rare instances where such provisions are included, we defer all revenue until such rights expire. In many cases our products are sold with a billing retention, typically 10% of the sales price (the “retention amount”), which is typically payable by the customer when field acceptance provisions are completed. The amount of revenue recognized upon delivery of a system or upgrade, if any, is limited to the lower of i) the amount billed that is not contingent upon acceptance provisions or ii) the value of the arrangement consideration allocated to the delivered elements, if such sale is part of a multiple-element arrangement.
	For transactions entered into prior to January 1, 2011, under the accounting rules for multiple-element arrangements in place at that time, we deferred the greater of the retention amount or the relative fair value of the undelivered elements based on VSOE.  When we could not establish VSOE or TPE for all undelivered elements of an arrangement, revenue on the entire arrangement was deferred until the earlier of the point when we did have VSOE for all undelivered elements or the delivery of all elements of the arrangement.
	Our sales arrangements, including certain upgrades, generally include installation. The installation process is not deemed essential to the functionality of the equipment since it is not complex; that is, it does not require significant changes to the features or capabilities of the equipment or involve building elaborate interfaces or connections subsequent to factory acceptance. We have a demonstrated history of consistently completing installations in a timely manner and can reliably estimate the costs of such activities. Most customers engage us to perform the installation services, although there are other third-party providers with sufficient knowledge who could complete these services. Based on these factors, we deem the installation of our systems to be inconsequential or perfunctory relative to the system as a whole, and as a result, do not consider such services to be a separate element of the arrangement. As such, we accrue the cost of the installation at the time of revenue recognition for the system.
	In Japan, where our contractual terms with customers generally specify title and risk and rewards of ownership transfer upon customer acceptance, revenue is recognized and the customer is billed upon the receipt of written customer acceptance. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, we began using a distributor for almost all of our product and service sales to customers in Japan. Title and risk and rewards of ownership of our system sales still transfer to our end-customers upon their acceptance.  As such, there is no impact to our policy of recognizing revenue upon receipt of written acceptance from the end customer.
	Revenue related to maintenance and service contracts is recognized ratably over the applicable contract term.  Component and spare part revenue are recognized at the time of delivery in accordance with the terms of the applicable sales arrangement.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	'
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include cash and certain highly liquid investments. Highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased may be classified as cash equivalents. Such items may include liquid money market accounts, U.S. treasuries, government agency securities and corporate debt. The investments that are classified as cash equivalents are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.
Short-Term Investments	'
	Short-Term Investments
	We determine the appropriate balance sheet classification of our investments at the time of purchase and evaluate the classification at each balance sheet date. As part of our cash management program, we maintain a portfolio of marketable securities which are classified as available-for-sale. These securities include U.S. treasuries and government agency securities with maturities of greater than three months when purchased. Securities classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair market value, with the unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in the determination of comprehensive income (loss) and reported in equity. Net realized gains and losses are included in net income (loss).
Accounts Receivable, Net	'
	Accounts Receivable, Net
	Accounts receivable are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2.4 million and $0.5 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We evaluate the collectability of accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In cases where we become aware of circumstances that may impair a customer’s ability to meet its financial obligations subsequent to the original sale, we will record an allowance against amounts due, and thereby reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount the we reasonably believes will be collected. For all other customers, we recognize an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the length of time the receivables are past due and consideration of other factors such as industry conditions, the current business environment and its historical experience.
Concentration of Credit Risk	'
	Concentration of Credit Risk
	Financial instruments, which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of accounts receivable, short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and, where appropriate, require that letters of credit be provided on certain foreign sales arrangements. We maintain allowances for potential credit losses and make investments with strong, higher credit quality issuers and continuously monitor the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer.
Inventories	'
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (principally first-in, first-out method) or market.  On a quarterly basis, management assesses the valuation and recoverability of all inventories, classified as materials (which include raw materials, spare parts and service inventory), work-in-process and finished goods.
	Materials inventory is used primarily to support the installed tool base and spare parts sales and is reviewed for excess quantities or obsolescence by comparing on-hand balances to historical usage, and adjusted for current economic conditions and other qualitative factors. Historically, the variability of such estimates has been impacted by customer demand and tool utilization rates.
	The work-in-process and finished goods inventory is principally used to support system sales and is reviewed for recoverability by considering whether on hand inventory would be utilized to fulfill the related backlog. As we typically receive deposits for our orders, the variability of this estimate is reduced as customers have a vested interest in the orders they place with us. Recoverability of such inventory is evaluated by monitoring customer demand, current sales trends and product gross margins.  Management also considers qualitative factors such as future product demand based on market outlook, which is based principally upon production requirements resulting from customer purchase orders received with a customer-confirmed shipment date within the next twelve months.  Historically, the variability of these estimates of future product demand has been impacted by backlog cancellations or modifications resulting from unanticipated changes in technology or customer demand.
	Following identification of potential excess or obsolete inventory, management evaluates the need to write down inventory balances to its estimated market value, if less than its cost.  Inherent in the estimates of market value are management’s estimates related to our future manufacturing schedules, customer demand, technological and/or market obsolescence, possible alternative uses, and ultimate realization of potential excess inventory.  Unanticipated changes in demand for our products may require a write down of inventory that could materially affect our operating results.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles	'
	Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles
	Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired.  We account for goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives in accordance with relevant accounting guidance related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which states that goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives should not be amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually at the reporting unit level.  Our policy is to perform this annual impairment test in the fourth quarter, using a measurement date of October 1st, of each fiscal year or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. Impairment indicators include, among other conditions, cash flow deficits, a historical or anticipated decline in revenue or operating profit, adverse legal or regulatory developments and a material decrease in the fair value of some or all of the assets.
	The guidance provides an option for an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary.
	If we determine the two-step impairment test is necessary, we are required to determine if it is appropriate to use the operating segment, as defined under guidance for segment reporting, as the reporting unit, or one level below the operating segment, depending on whether certain criteria are met. We have identified five reporting units that are required to be reviewed for impairment. The five reporting units are aggregated into two segments: the VIBE and Mechanical reporting units which are reported in our Data Storage segment; and the MOCVD, MBE and ALD reporting units which are reported in our LED & Solar segment. In identifying the reporting units management considered the economic characteristics of operating segments including the products and services provided, production processes, types or classes of customer and product distribution.
	If required, we perform this impairment test by first comparing the fair value of our reporting units to their respective carrying amount. When determining the estimated fair value of a reporting unit, we utilize a discounted future cash flow approach since reported quoted market prices are not available for our reporting units. Developing the estimate of the discounted future cash flow requires significant judgment and projections of future financial performance. The key assumptions used in developing the discounted future cash flows are the projection of future revenues and expenses, working capital requirements, residual growth rates and the weighted average cost of capital. In developing our financial projections, we consider historical data, current internal estimates and market growth trends. Changes to any of these assumptions could materially change the fair value of the reporting unit. We reconcile the aggregate fair value of our reporting units to our adjusted market capitalization as a supporting calculation. The adjusted market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the average share price of our common stock for the last ten trading days prior to the measurement date by the number of outstanding common shares and adding a control premium.
	If the carrying value of the reporting units exceed the fair value we would then compare the implied fair value of our goodwill to the carrying amount in order to determine the amount of the impairment, if any.
Definite-Lived Intangible and Long-Lived Assets	'
	Definite-Lived Intangible and Long-Lived Assets
	Definite-lived intangible assets consist of purchased technology, customer-related intangible assets, patents, trademarks, covenants not-to-compete, software licenses and deferred financing costs. Purchased technology consists of the core proprietary manufacturing technologies associated with the products and offerings obtained through acquisition and are initially recorded at fair value. Customer-related intangible assets, patents, trademarks, covenants not-to-compete and software licenses that are obtained in an acquisition are initially recorded at fair value. Other software licenses and deferred financing costs are initially recorded at cost. Intangible assets with definitive useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives for periods up to 17 years.
	Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided over the estimated useful lives of the related assets using the straight-line method for financial statement purposes. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements.
	Long-lived assets, such as property, plant, and equipment and intangible assets with definite useful lives, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Impairment indicators include, among other conditions, cash flow deficits, a historical or anticipated decline in revenue or operating profit, adverse legal or regulatory developments and a material decrease in the fair value of some or all of the assets. Assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows generated by other asset groups. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flow expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.
Accounting for Acquisitions	'
	Accounting for Acquisitions
	Our growth strategy has included the acquisition of businesses. The purchase price of these acquisitions has been determined after due diligence of the acquired business, market research, strategic planning, and the forecasting of expected future results and synergies. Estimated future results and expected synergies are subject to judgment as we integrate each acquisition and attempt to leverage resources.
	The accounting for the acquisitions we have made requires that the assets and liabilities acquired, as well as any contingent consideration that may be part of the agreement, be recorded at their respective fair values at the date of acquisition. This requires management to make significant estimates in determining the fair values, especially with respect to intangible assets, including estimates of expected cash flows, expected cost savings and the appropriate weighted average cost of capital. As a result of these significant judgments to be made we often obtain the assistance of independent valuation firms. We complete these assessments as soon as practical after the closing dates. Any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Please see our footnote Business Combinations in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cost Method of Accounting for Investments	'
	Cost Method of Accounting for Investments
	Investee companies not accounted for under the consolidation or the equity method of accounting are accounted for under the cost method of accounting. Under this method, our share of the earnings or losses of such investee companies are not included in the Consolidated Balance Sheet or Statements of Operations. However, impairment charges are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. If circumstances suggest that the value of the investee company has subsequently recovered, such recovery is not recorded.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	We believe the carrying amounts of our financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, reflected in the consolidated financial statements approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of our debt, including current maturities, is estimated using a discounted cash flow analysis, based on the estimated current incremental borrowing rates for similar types of securities.
Translation of Foreign Currencies	'
	Translation of Foreign Currencies
	Certain of our international subsidiaries operate using local functional currencies. Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date, and income and expense accounts and cash flow items are translated at average monthly exchange rates during the respective periods. Net exchange gains or losses resulting from the translation of foreign financial statements and the effect of exchange rates on intercompany transactions of a long-term investment nature are recorded as a separate component of equity in accumulated other comprehensive income. Any foreign currency gains or losses related to transactions are included in operating results.
Environmental Compliance and Remediation	'
	Environmental Compliance and Remediation
	Environmental compliance costs include ongoing maintenance, monitoring and similar costs. Such costs are expensed as incurred. Environmental remediation costs are accrued when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the cost can be reasonably estimated.
Research and Development Costs	'
	Research and Development Costs
	Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred and include expenses for the development of new technology and the transition of technology into new products or services.
Warranty Costs	'
	Warranty Costs
	Our warranties are typically valid for one year from the date of final acceptance. We estimate the costs that may be incurred under the warranty that we provide for our products. We record a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the related revenue is recognized. Estimated warranty costs are determined by analyzing specific product and historical configuration statistics and regional warranty support costs. Our warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates, material usage, and labor costs incurred in correcting product failures during the warranty period. Unforeseen component failures or exceptional component performance can also result in changes to warranty costs. If actual warranty costs differ substantially from our estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be required.
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	We are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating the actual current tax expense, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The carrying value of our deferred tax assets is adjusted by a partial valuation allowance to recognize the extent to which the future tax benefits will be recognized on a more likely than not basis. Our net deferred tax assets consist primarily of tax credit carry forwards and timing differences between the book and tax treatment of inventory, acquired intangible assets and other asset valuations. Realization of these net deferred tax assets is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income.
	We record valuation allowances in order to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. In assessing the adequacy of recorded valuation allowances, we consider a variety of factors, including the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Under the relevant accounting guidance, factors such as current and previous operating losses are given significantly greater weight than the outlook for future profitability in determining the deferred tax asset carrying value.
	Relevant accounting guidance addresses the determination of how tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements. Under such guidance, we must recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such uncertain tax positions are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate resolution.
Advertising Expense	'
	Advertising Expense
	The cost of advertising is expensed as of the first showing of each advertisement. We incurred $0.5 million, $0.8 million and $1.4 million in advertising expenses during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Shipping and Handling Costs	'
	Shipping and Handling Costs
	Shipping and handling costs are costs that are incurred to move, package and prepare our products for shipment and then to move the products to the customer’s designated location. These costs are generally comprised of payments to third-party shippers. Shipping and handling costs are included in cost of sales in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Equity-Based Compensation	'
	Equity-Based Compensation
	We grant equity-based awards, such as stock options and restricted stock or restricted stock units, to certain key employees to create a clear and meaningful alignment between compensation and shareholder return and to enable the employees to develop and maintain a stock ownership position.  While the majority of our equity awards feature time-based vesting, performance-based equity awards, which are awarded from time to time to certain of our key executives, vest as a function of performance, and may also be subject to the recipient’s continued employment which also acts as a significant retention incentive.
	Equity-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the employee requisite service period. In order to determine the fair value of stock options on the date of grant, we apply the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Inherent in the model are assumptions related to risk-free interest rate, dividend yield, expected stock-price volatility and option life.
	The risk-free rate assumed in valuing the options is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for the expected term of the option. The dividend yield assumption is based on our historical and future expectation of dividend payouts. While the risk-free interest rate and dividend yield are less subjective assumptions, typically based on objective data derived from public sources, the expected stock-price volatility and option life assumptions require a level of judgment which results in more subjective accounting estimates.
	We use an expected stock-price volatility assumption that is a combination of both historical volatility calculated based on the daily closing prices of our common stock over a period equal to the expected term of the option and implied volatility which utilizes market data of actively traded options on our common stock, which are obtained from public data sources. We believe that the historical volatility of the price of our common stock over the expected term of the option is a strong indicator of the expected future volatility and that implied volatility takes into consideration market expectations of how future volatility will differ from historical volatility. Accordingly, we believe a combination of both historical and implied volatility provides the best estimate of the future volatility of the market price of our common stock.
	The expected option term, representing the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, is estimated using a lattice-based model incorporating historical post vest exercise and employee termination behavior.
	We estimate forfeitures using our historical experience, which is adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Because of the significant amount of judgment used in these calculations, it is reasonably likely that circumstances may cause the estimate to change.
	We settle the exercise of stock options with newly issued shares.
	With respect to grants of performance based awards, we assess the probability that such performance criteria will be met in order to determine the compensation expense.  Consequently, the compensation expense is recognized straight-line over the vesting period. If that assessment of the probability of the performance condition being met changes, we would recognize the impact of the change in estimate in the period of the change. As with the use of any estimate, and due to the significant judgment used to derive those estimates, actual results may vary.
	We have elected to treat awards with only service conditions and with graded vesting as one award. Consequently, the total compensation expense is recognized straight-line over the entire vesting period, so long as the compensation cost recognized at any date at least equals the portion of the grant date fair value of the award that is vested at that date.
Negotiable Letters of Credit	'
	Negotiable Letters of Credit
	For certain transactions, we request that our customers provide us with a negotiable irrevocable letter of credit drawn on a reputable financial institution. These irrevocable letters of credit are typically issued to mature, on average, for 0 to 90 days post documentation requirements, but occasionally for longer. For a fee, one of our banks confirms the reputation of the issuing institution and, at our option, monetizes these letters of credit on a non-recourse basis soon after they become negotiable. Once we monetize the letter of credit with the confirming bank, we have no further obligations or interest in the letter of credit and they are not included in our consolidated balance sheets. The fees that we pay are included in selling, general and administrative expense and are not material.

Income_Loss_Per_Common_Share_T

Income (Loss) Per Common Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income (Loss) Per Common Share	'
Schedule of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share and the weighted average shares	'
	The following table sets forth basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share and the basic weighted average shares outstanding and diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands, except per share data):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Net income (loss)	$	(42,263	)	$	30,928	$	127,987
	Net income (loss) per common share:
	Basic	$	(1.09	)	$	0.8	$	3.23
	Diluted	$	(1.09	)	$	0.79	$	3.11
	Basic weighted average shares outstanding	38,807			38,477		39,658
	Dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock awards and units and convertible debt	—			574		1,497
	Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	38,807			39,051		41,155

Discontinued_Operations_Tables

Discontinued Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Discontinued Operations	'
Summary of information related to discontinued operations	'
	Summary information related to discontinued operations is as follows (in thousands):
		2012							2011
		Solar							Solar
		Systems			Metrology		Total		Systems			Metrology			Total
	Net sales	$	—		$	—	$	—	$	—		$	—		$	—
	Net income (loss) from discontinued operations	$	(62	)	$	4,461	$	4,399	$	(61,453	)	$	(1,062	)	$	(62,515	)

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value Measurements	'
Schedule of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'
	The major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value, as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013
		Level 1			Level 2		Level 3			Total
	U.S. treasuries	$	130,977		$	—	$	—		$	130,977
	Corporate debt	—			77,601		—			77,601
	Government agency securities	—			61,013		—			61,013
	Commercial paper	—			11,947		—			11,947
	Derivative instrument	—			907		—			907
	Contingent consideration	—			—		(29,368		)	(29,368		)
		December 31, 2012 (1)
		Level 1			Level 2		Level 3			Total
	U.S. treasuries	$	278,698		$	—	$	—		$	278,698
	Government agency securities	—			123,054		—			123,054
	Derivative instrument	—			248		—			248
	(1)         December 31, 2012 table has been conformed to present year presentation.
Schedule of the reconciliation of the amount in Level 3	'
	A reconciliation of the amount in Level 3 is as follows (in thousands):
		Level 3
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	—
	Addition of contingent consideration	(33,539		)
	Payment on contingent consideration	5,000
	Fair value adjustment of contingent consideration	(829		)
	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	(29,368	)

Business_Combinations_Tables

Business Combinations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations	'
Schedule of Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration transferred net of cash acquired	'
	The Acquisition Date fair value of the consideration totaled $102.3 million, net of cash acquired, which consisted of the following (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
	Cash (net of cash acquired)	$	71,488
	Working capital adjustment	(2,695		)
	Contingent consideration	33,539
	Total	$	102,332
Summary of the estimated fair values of the assets acquired, net of cash acquired, and liabilities assumed	'
	The amounts below are preliminary and are subject to change (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
	Accounts receivable	$	1,523
	Inventory	386
	Other current assets	512
	Property, plant, and equipment	1,917
	Intangible assets	99,270
	Total identifiable assets acquired	103,608
	Current liabilities	4,370
	Estimated deferred tax liability, net	32,426
	Total liabilities assumed	36,796
	Net identifiable assets acquired	66,812
	Goodwill	35,520
	Net assets acquired	$	102,332
Schedule of classes of intangible assets acquired and the estimated weighted-average useful life of each class	'
	The classes of intangible assets acquired and the estimated weighted-average useful life of each class is presented in the table below (in thousands):
		Acquisition Date
		(October 1, 2013)
		Amount			Average useful life
	Technology	$	73,160		14 years
	In-process research and development	5,070			To be determined
	Customer relationship	20,630			8 years
	Trademark and trade name	140			1 year
	Non-compete agreement	270			3 years
	Intangible assets acquired	$	99,270
Schedule of amounts of revenue and income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'
	The amounts of revenue and income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes of Synos included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations from the acquisition date (October 1, 2013) to the period ending December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
	Revenue	$	409
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(6,480	)
Schedule of pro forma Consolidated Statement of Operations	'
	The following represents the pro forma Consolidated Statements of Operations as if Synos had been included in our consolidated results (in thousands):
		For the year ended December 31,
		(unaudited)
		2013			2012
	Revenue	$	346,319		$	522,029
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(60,983	)	$	16,840

Balance_Sheet_Information_Tabl

Balance Sheet Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Balance Sheet Information	'
Schedule of available-for-sale securities	'
	Available-for-sale securities consist of the following (in thousands):
		December 31, 2013
					Gains in			Losses in
					Accumulated			Accumulated
					Other			Other
		Amortized			Comprehensive			Comprehensive			Estimated
		Cost			Income			Income			Fair Value
	U.S. treasuries	$	130,956		$	22		$	(1	)	$	130,977
	Government agency securities	61,004			9			—			61,013
	Corporate debt	77,582			55			(36		)	77,601
	Commercial paper	11,947			—			—			11,947
	Total available-for-sale securities	$	281,489		$	86		$	(37	)	$	281,538
		December 31, 2012
					Gains in			Losses in
					Accumulated			Accumulated
					Other			Other
		Amortized			Comprehensive			Comprehensive			Estimated
		Cost			Income			Income			Fair Value
	U.S. treasuries	$	184,102		$	76		$	—		$	184,178
	Government agency securities	8,056			—			—			8,056
	Total available-for-sale securities	$	192,158		$	76		$	—		$	192,234
Schedule of available-for-sale securities in a loss position	'
	Available-for-sale securities in a loss position at December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
		Less than 12 months						Total
					Gross						Gross
					Unrealized						Unrealized
		Fair value			Losses			Fair value			Losses
	Corporate debt	$	37,654		$	(36	)	$	37,654		$	(36	)
	U.S. treasuries	29,068			(1		)	29,068			(1		)
	Total	$	66,722		$	(37	)	$	66,722		$	(37	)
Schedule of contractual maturities of available-for-sale securities	'
	Contractual maturities of available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
		Estimated
		Fair Value
	Due in one year or less	$	196,015
	Due in 1–2 years	64,156
	Due in 2–3 years	21,367
	Total investments in securities	$	281,538
Schedule of inventories	'
	Inventories (in thousands)
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Materials	$	34,301		$	36,523
	Work in process	12,900			13,363
	Finished goods	12,525			9,921
		$	59,726		$	59,807
Schedule of property, plant and equipment	'
	Property, Plant and Equipment (in thousands)
		December 31,						Estimated
		2013			2012			Useful Lives
	Land	$	12,535		$	12,535
	Building and improvements	52,050			49,498			10-40 years
	Machinery and equipment	110,228			110,150			3-10 years
	Leasehold improvements	5,888			5,677			3-7 years
	Gross property, plant and equipment at cost	180,701			177,860
	Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization	91,562			79,558
	Net property, plant and equipment	$	89,139		$	98,302
Schedule of changes in goodwill	'
	Changes in our goodwill are as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Beginning balance	$	55,828		$	55,828
	Acquisition (see Business Combinations)	35,520			—
	Ending balance	$	91,348		$	55,828
Schedule of intangible assets	'
		December 31, 2013									December 31, 2012
					Other			Total						Other			Total
		Purchased			intangible			intangible			Purchased			intangible			intangible
	(in thousands)	technology			assets			assets			technology			assets			assets
	Gross intangible assets	$	187,478		$	40,675		$	228,153		$	109,248		$	19,635		$	128,883
	Less accumulated amortization	(97,524		)	(15,913		)	(113,437		)	(93,436		)	(14,473		)	(107,909		)
	Intangible assets, net	$	89,954		$	24,762		$	114,716		$	15,812		$	5,162		$	20,974
Schedule of estimated aggregate amortization expense for intangible assets with definite useful lives	'
	The estimated aggregate amortization expense for intangible assets with definite useful lives for each of the next five fiscal years is as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	11,569
	2015	19,376
	2016	18,498
	2017	15,876
	2018	12,244
Schedule of other assets	'
		December 31,
	(in thousands)	2013			2012
	Cost method investment	$	16,884		$	14,494
	Income taxes receivable	21,128			—
	Other	714			2,287
		$	38,726		$	16,781
Schedule of accrued expenses and other current liabilities	'
		December 31,
	(in thousands)	2013			2012
	Payroll and related benefits	$	11,020		$	14,581
	Sales, use and other taxes	5,402			6,480
	Contingent consideration	20,098			—
	Warranty	5,662			4,942
	Restructuring liability	533			1,875
	Other	8,369			13,523
		$	51,084		$	41,401
Schedule of changes in warranty liability	'
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Balance as of the beginning of year	$	4,942		$	8,731
	Warranties issued during the year	5,291			3,563
	Settlements made during the year	(5,580		)	(7,060		)
	Changes in estimate during the period	1,009			(292		)
	Balance as of the end of year	$	5,662		$	4,942
Schedule of other liabilities	'
		December 31,
	(in thousands)	2013			2012
	Contingent consideration	$	9,270		$	—
	Income taxes payable	—			3,986
	Other	379			544
		$	9,649		$	4,530
Schedule of the components of accumulated other comprehensive income	'
	As of December 31, 2013	Gross			Taxes			Net
	Translation adjustments	$	5,718		$	(392	)	$	5,326
	Minimum pension liability	(1,160		)	424			(736		)
	Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities	49			(18		)	31
	Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	4,607		$	14		$	4,621
	As of December 31, 2012	Gross			Taxes			Net
	Translation adjustments	$	7,040		$	(339	)	$	6,701
	Minimum pension liability	(1,285		)	510			(775		)
	Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities	76			(29		)	47
	Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	5,831		$	142		$	5,973

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt	'
Schedule of maturity of long-term debt	'
	Long-term debt matures as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	290
	2015	314
	2016	340
	2017	368
	2018	398
	Thereafter	427
		2,137
	Less current portion	290
		$	1,847
Schedule of components of interest expense recorded on the notes	'
	The components of interest expense recorded on the notes were as follows (in thousands):
		For the year ended
		December 31,
		2011
	Contractual interest	$	2,025
	Accretion of the discount on the notes	1,260
	Total interest expense on the notes	$	3,285
	Effective interest rate	6.7		%

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_1

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity Compensation Plans and Equity	'
Assumptions based on which fair value of each option granted was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model	'
		For the year ended December 31,
		2013		2012		2011
	Weighted-average expected stock-price volatility	48	%	59	%	55	%
	Weighted-average expected option life	5 years		5 years		4 years
	Average risk-free interest rate	1.27	%	0.7	%	1.4	%
	Average dividend yield	0	%	0	%	0	%
Summary of restricted stock awards and restricted stock unit activity	'
				Weighted-
				Average
		Shares		Grant-Date
		(000’s)		Fair Value
	Nonvested as of December 31, 2012	693		$	36.11
	Granted	798		33.16
	Vested	(207	)	32.44
	Forfeited (including cancelled awards)	(126	)	34.33
	Nonvested as of December 31, 2013	1,158		$	34.93
Summary of stock option awards activity	'
										Weighted-
										Average
				Weighted-						Remaining
				Average			Aggregate			Contractual
		Shares		Exercise			Intrinsic			Life
		(000’s)		Price			Value (000’s)			(in years)
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2012	2,322		$	28.63
	Granted	539		32.68
	Exercised	(149	)	14.74
	Forfeited (including cancelled options)	(114	)	35.22
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	2,598		$	29.98		$	14,277		6.5
	Options exercisable as of December 31, 2013	1,567		$	27.19		$	13,208		4.7
Summary of information about stock options outstanding	'
		Options Outstanding							Options Exercisable
		Number		Weighted-Average		Weighted-			Number		Weighted-
		Outstanding at		Remaining		Average			Exercisable at		Average
		December 31,		Contractual Life		Exercise			December 31,		Exercise
	Range of Exercise Prices	2013 (000s)		(in years)		Price			2013 (000s)		Price
	$8.82 - 16.37	432		2.4		$	10.98		432		$	10.98
	17.48 - 26.69	296		2.2		19.85			278		19.55
	28.60 - 42.96	1,601		8.2		33.43			674		34.27
	44.09 - 51.70	269		7.4		51.02			183		50.96
		2,598		6.5		$	29.98		1,567		$	27.19

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Taxes	'
Schedule of income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'
	Our income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations consists of (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Domestic	$	(84,942	)	$	5,811		$	230,204
	Foreign	13,732			32,375			41,882
		$	(71,210	)	$	38,186		$	272,086
Schedule of components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes from continuing operations	'
	Significant components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes from continuing operations are presented below (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Current:
	Federal	$	(21,022	)	$	2,515		$	59,921
	Foreign	3,921			7,576			10,714
	State and local	148			(317		)	805
	Total current provision (benefit) for income taxes	(16,953		)	9,774			71,440
	Deferred:
	Federal	(11,589		)	(482		)	10,454
	Foreign	(462		)	727			(1,073		)
	State and local	57			1,638			763
	Total deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	(11,994		)	1,883			10,144
	Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	$	(28,947	)	$	11,657		$	81,584
Schedule of reconciliation of the income tax provision (benefit) computed using the Federal statutory rate to actual income tax provision	'
	The following is a reconciliation of the income tax provision (benefit) computed using the Federal statutory rate to our actual income tax provision (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Income tax provision (benefit) at U.S. statutory rates	$	(24,923	)	$	13,366		$	95,231
	State income tax expense (benefit), net of federal impact	(1,554		)	(89		)	1,616
	Nondeductible expenses	195			622			(749		)
	Domestic production activities deduction	1,554			(489		)	(4,581		)
	Nondeductible compensation	11			205			841
	Research and development tax credit	(3,151		)	(3,013		)	(4,675		)
	Net change in valuation allowance	2,420			2,943			121
	Change in accrual for unrecognized tax benefits	577			533			824
	Foreign tax rate differential	(4,275		)	(2,387		)	(5,225		)
	Other	199			(34		)	(1,819		)
	Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	$	(28,947	)	$	11,657		$	81,584
Schedule of deferred tax assets and liabilities	'
	Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Deferred tax assets:
	Inventory valuation	$	6,983		$	6,386
	Domestic net operating loss carry forwards	5,585			1,144
	Tax credit carry forwards	12,566			4,145
	Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	821			—
	Warranty and installation accruals	3,002			2,174
	Equity compensation	10,638			9,114
	Other accruals	2,556			3,270
	Other	1,160			760
	Total deferred tax assets	43,311			26,993
	Valuation allowance	(7,753		)	(4,708		)
	Net deferred tax assets	35,558			22,285
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Purchased intangible assets	45,208			9,973
	Undistributed earnings	1,737			1,095
	Depreciation	4,711			7,014
	Total deferred tax liabilities	51,656			18,082
	Net deferred taxes	$	(16,098	)	$	4,203
Schedule of reconciliation of beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits	'
	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	Beginning balance as of December 31	$	5,818		$	4,748
	Additions for tax positions related to current year	324			435
	Reductions for tax positions related to current year	—			—
	Additions for tax positions related to prior years	477			742
	Reductions for tax positions related to prior years	(224		)	(59		)
	Reductions due to the lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	—			(48		)
	Settlements	(167		)	—
	Ending balance as of December 31	$	6,228		$	5,818

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters	'
Schedule of restructuring expense	'
	Restructuring expense for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are as follows (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Personnel severance and related costs	$	1,485		$	3,040		$	1,288
	Equity compensation and related costs	—			414			—
	Lease-related and other	—			359			—
		$	1,485		$	3,813		$	1,288
Schedule of reconciliation of the liability for restructuring charges	'
	The following is a reconciliation of the liability for the 2013, 2012 and 2011 restructuring charges through December 31, 2013 (in thousands):
		LED & Solar			Data Storage			Unallocated			Total
	Short-term liability
	Balance as of January 1, 2011	$	—		$	178		$	536		$	714
	Personnel severance and related costs 2011	672			51			311			1,034
	Personnel severance and related costs 2012	874			1,684			135			2,693
	Personnel severance and related costs 2013	1,017			410			58			1,485
	Short-term/long-term reclassification 2011	—			58			—			58
	Cash payments 2011	(138		)	(159		)	(553		)	(850		)
	Cash payments 2012	(960		)	(504		)	(310		)	(1,774		)
	Cash payments 2013	(1,282		)	(1,368		)	(177		)	(2,827		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	183		$	350		$	—		$	533
	Long-term liability
	Balance as of January 1, 2011	$	—		$	58		$	—		$	58
	Short-term/long-term reclassification 2011	—			(58		)	—			(58		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
Schedule of minimum lease commitments for property and equipment under operating lease agreements	'
	Minimum lease commitments as of December 31, 2013 for property and equipment under operating lease agreements (exclusive of renewal options) are payable as follows (in thousands):
	2014	$	3,076
	2015	2,091
	2016	1,327
	2017	1,052
	2018	536
		$	8,082
Schedule of customers who accounted for more than 10% of our aggregate accounts receivable or net sales	'
				Accounts Receivable				Net Sales for the year ended
				December 31,				December 31,
	Customer	Segment		2013		2012		2013		2012		2011
	Customer A	Data Storage		23	%	16	%	*		14	%	*
	Customer B	Data Storage		11	%	*		*		*		*
	Customer C	LED & Solar		10	%	16	%	14	%	*		*
	Customer D	LED & Solar		*		*		*		*		11	%
	Customer E	LED & Solar		*		*		*		*		12	%
	* Less than 10% of aggregate accounts receivable or net sales.
Schedule of net accounts receivable balance in different geographic locations	'
	Our net accounts receivable balance is concentrated in the following geographic locations (in thousands):
		December 31,
		2013			2012
	China	$	4,845		$	28,132
	Singapore	3,192			7,266
	Taiwan	553			6,390
	Other	6,162			3,853
	Asia Pacific	14,752			45,641
	Americas	7,526			13,917
	Europe, Middle East and Africa	1,545			3,611
		$	23,823		$	63,169

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_1

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information	'
Schedule of net sales which are attributed to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived tangible assets	'
	Net sales which are attributed to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived tangible assets related to operations in the United States and other foreign countries as of and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are as follows (in thousands):
		Net Sales to Unaffiliated
		Customers									Long-Lived Tangible Assets
		2013			2012			2011			2013			2012		2011
	Americas (1)	$	57,609		$	83,317		$	100,635		$	66,002		$	74,497	$	67,788
	Europe, Middle East and Africa (1)	21,941			41,708			57,617			95			36		203
	Asia Pacific (1)	252,199			390,995			820,883			23,042			23,769		20,417
		$	331,749		$	516,020		$	979,135		$	89,139		$	98,302	$	88,408
	(1) For the year ended December 31, 2013, net sales to customers in China were 44.8% of total net sales. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net sales to customers in China and Taiwan were 42.0% and 11.4% of total net sales, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2011, net sales to customers in China were 66.4% of total net sales. No other country in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) and Asia Pacific (“APAC”) accounted for more than 10% of our net sales for the years presented. A minimal amount, less than 1%, of sales included within the Americas caption above have been derived from other regions outside of the United States.
Information related to reportable segments and a reconciliation of segment profit (loss) to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'
	The following tables present certain data pertaining to our reportable product segments and a reconciliation of segment profit (loss) to income (loss) from continuing operations, before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and goodwill and total assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 (in thousands):
					Data
		LED & Solar			Storage			Unallocated			Total
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Net sales	$	249,742		$	82,007		$	—		$	331,749
	Segment loss	$	(26,362	)	$	(671	)	$	(22,588	)	$	(49,621	)
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			602			602
	Amortization	(4,233		)	(1,294		)	—			(5,527		)
	Equity-based compensation	(5,126		)	(1,703		)	(6,301		)	(13,130		)
	Restructuring	(1,017		)	(410		)	(58		)	(1,485		)
	Asset impairment charge	(1,174		)	(46		)	—			(1,220		)
	Changes in contingent consideration	(829		)	—			—			(829		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	(38,741	)	$	(4,124	)	$	(28,345	)	$	(71,210	)
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Net sales	$	363,181		$	152,839		$	—		$	516,020
	Segment profit (loss)	$	41,603		$	25,414		$	(4,919	)	$	62,098
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			974			974
	Amortization	(3,586		)	(1,322		)	—			(4,908		)
	Equity-based compensation	(5,400		)	(1,920		)	(6,534		)	(13,854		)
	Restructuring	(1,233		)	(2,521		)	(59		)	(3,813		)
	Asset impairment charge	—			(1,335		)	—			(1,335		)
	Other	—			(976		)	—			(976		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	31,384		$	17,340		$	(10,538	)	$	38,186
	Year ended December 31, 2011
	Net sales	$	827,797		$	151,338		$	—		$	979,135
	Segment profit (loss)	$	267,059		$	38,358		$	(8,987	)	$	296,430
	Interest income (expense), net	—			—			(824		)	(824		)
	Amortization	(3,227		)	(1,424		)	(83		)	(4,734		)
	Equity-based compensation	(3,473		)	(1,458		)	(7,876		)	(12,807		)
	Restructuring	(204		)	(12		)	(1,072		)	(1,288		)
	Asset impairment charge	(584		)	—			—			(584		)
	Other	(758		)	—			—			(758		)
	Loss on extinguishment of debt	—			—			(3,349		)	(3,349		)
	Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	258,813		$	35,464		$	(22,191	)	$	272,086
Schedule of reconciliation of segment assets to consolidated assets	'
		LED & Solar			Data Storage			Unallocated			Total
	As of December 31, 2013
	Goodwill	$	91,348		$	—		$	—		$	91,348
	Total assets	$	359,464		$	37,910		$	550,595		$	947,969
	As of December 31, 2012
	Goodwill	$	55,828		$	—		$	—		$	55,828
	Total assets	$	276,352		$	38,664		$	622,288		$	937,304
Schedule of other segment data	'
	Other Segment Data (in thousands):
		Year ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Depreciation and amortization expense:
	LED & Solar	$	14,365		$	12,020		$	8,320
	Data Storage	2,907			3,008			3,245
	Unallocated	1,153			1,164			1,327
	Total depreciation and amortization expense	$	18,425		$	16,192		$	12,892
	Expenditures for long-lived assets:
	LED & Solar	$	6,796		$	20,279		$	56,141
	Data Storage	1,271			3,341			2,703
	Unallocated	1,108			1,374			1,520
	Total expenditures for long-lived assets	$	9,175		$	24,994		$	60,364

Derivative_Financial_Instrumen1

Derivative Financial Instruments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative Financial Instruments	'
Schedule of notional amount and fair value of derivatives	'
		As of December 31, 2013
			Fair		Maturity		Notional
	(in thousands)	Component of	Value		Dates		Amount
	Not Designated as Hedges under ASC 815
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Prepaid and other current assets	1		January 2014		4,700
	Foreign currency collar	Prepaid and other current assets	906		October 2014		34,069
	Total Derivative Instruments		$	907			$	38,769
		As of December 31, 2012
			Fair		Maturity		Notional
	(in thousands)	Component of	Value		Dates		Amount
	Not Designated as Hedges under ASC 815
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Prepaid and other current assets	248		January 2013		9,590
	Total Derivative Instruments		$	248			$	9,590
Schedule of derivative realized net gain (loss)	'
			Amount of realized net gain (loss)
			and changes in the fair value of
		Location of realized net gain	derivatives for the year ended
		(loss) and changes in the fair	December 31,
	(in thousands)	value of derivatives	2013		2012			2011
	Foreign currency exchange forwards	Other, net	$	248	$	333		$	553
	Foreign currency collar	Other, net	$	906	$	—		$	—

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I1

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)	'
Schedule of unaudited quarterly results	'
		Fiscal 2013 (unaudited)												Fiscal 2012 (unaudited)
	(in thousands, except per share data)	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4			Q1			Q2		Q3		Q4
	Net sales	$	61,781		$	97,435		$	99,324		$	73,209		$	139,909		$	136,547	$	132,715	$	106,849
	Gross profit	22,552			34,640			30,308			15,642			65,268			61,254		49,884		38,727
	Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income taxes	(10,071		)	(4,081		)	(6,026		)	(22,085		)	16,462			11,011		7,698		(8,642		)
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	—			—			—			—			(50		)	807		4,055		(413		)
	Net income (loss)	$	(10,071	)	$	(4,081	)	$	(6,026	)	$	(22,085	)	$	16,412		$	11,818	$	11,753	$	(9,055	)
	Income (loss) per common share:
	Basic:
	Continuing operations	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.43		$	0.29	$	0.2	$	(0.22	)
	Discontinued operations	—			—			—			—			—			0.02		0.1		(0.01		)
	Income (loss)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.43		$	0.31	$	0.3	$	(0.23	)
	Diluted :
	Continuing operations	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.42		$	0.28	$	0.2	$	(0.22	)
	Discontinued operations	—			—			—			—			—			0.02		0.1		(0.01		)
	Income (loss)	$	(0.26	)	$	(0.11	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.57	)	$	0.42		$	0.3	$	0.3	$	(0.23	)
	Weighted average shares outstanding:
	Basic	38,716			38,764			38,841			38,904			38,261			38,370		38,577		38,698
	Diluted	38,716			38,764			38,841			38,904			38,863			38,988		39,169		38,698

Description_of_Business_and_Si2

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income from continuing operations	($22,085)	($6,026)	($4,081)	($10,071)	($8,642)	$7,698	$11,011	$16,462	($42,263)	$26,529	$190,502
Number of weeks in each fiscal quarter for 52-week fiscal year	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'91 days	'	'
Revenue Recognition	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue retention percentage	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	'

Description_of_Business_and_Si3

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
	item
Short-Term Investments	'	'	'
Maturity period of short-term investments, minimum	'3 months	'	'
Accounts Receivable, Net	'	'	'
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$2.40	$0.50	'
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangibles	'	'	'
Number of reporting units	5	'	'
Number of reportable segments	2	'	'
Trading days prior to measurement date	'10 days	'	'
Warranty Costs	'	'	'
Warranty period	'1 year	'	'
Advertising Expense	'	'	'
Advertising expenses	$0.50	$0.80	$1.40
Negotiable Letters of Credit	'	'	'
Maturity period of irrevocable letters of credit, minimum	'0 days	'	'
Maturity period of irrevocable letters of credit, maximum	'90 days	'	'
Maximum	'	'	'
Definite-Lived Intangible and Long-Lived Assets	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'17 years	'	'

Income_Loss_Per_Common_Share_D

Income (Loss) Per Common Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income (Loss) Per Common Share	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net income (loss)	($22,085)	($6,026)	($4,081)	($10,071)	($9,055)	$11,753	$11,818	$16,412	($42,263)	$30,928	$127,987
Net income (loss) per common share:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Basic (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.23)	$0.30	$0.31	$0.43	($1.09)	$0.80	$3.23
Diluted (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.23)	$0.30	$0.30	$0.42	($1.09)	$0.79	$3.11
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	38,904,000	38,841,000	38,764,000	38,716,000	38,698,000	38,577,000	38,370,000	38,261,000	38,807,000	38,477,000	39,658,000
Dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock awards and units and convertible debt (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	574,000	1,497,000
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	38,904,000	38,841,000	38,764,000	38,716,000	38,698,000	39,169,000	38,988,000	38,863,000	38,807,000	39,051,000	41,155,000
Dilutive effect of assumed conversion of convertible debt (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	600,000

Income_Loss_Per_Common_Share_D1

Income (Loss) Per Common Share (Details 2)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Per Common Share	'	'	'
Potentially securities excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share (in shares)	0.6	'	'
Stock options and Restricted stock	'	'	'
Income Per Common Share	'	'	'
Potentially securities excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share (in shares)	1.3	1.3	0.7

Discontinued_Operations_Detail

Discontinued Operations (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended					0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 02, 2013	Oct. 02, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Oct. 07, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
						CIGS Solar Systems Business	CIGS Solar Systems Business	Metrology	Metrology	Metrology	Metrology
Discontinued operations	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total pre-tax charges	'	'	'	'	'	'	$69,800,000	'	'	'	'
Asset impairment charge	0	0	1,220,000	1,335,000	584,000	'	6,200,000	'	'	'	'
Goodwill write-off	'	'	'	'	'	'	10,800,000	'	'	'	'
Inventory write-offs	'	'	'	'	'	'	27,000,000	'	'	'	'
Charges to settle contracts	'	'	'	'	'	'	22,100,000	'	'	'	'
Lease related charges	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,400,000	'	'	'	'
Personnel severance charges	'	'	'	'	'	'	2,300,000	'	'	'	'
Working capital adjustment which is included in total proceeds	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,000,000	'	'	'
Proceeds from divestiture of businesses	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	230,400,000	'	'	'
Amount of proceeds related to assets in China	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	7,200,000	'	'	'
Gain on disposal, pre-tax	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	156,300,000
Pre-tax deferred gain related to net assets in China	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	5,400,000
Deferred pre-tax gain recognized on sale of business in China	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	5,400,000	'	'
Gain on sale of assets of discontinued segment	'	'	'	1,400,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Gain on sale of assets of discontinued segment, net of taxes	'	'	'	1,100,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net (loss) income from discontinued operations	'	'	'	$4,399,000	($62,515,000)	($62,000)	($61,453,000)	'	$4,461,000	($1,062,000)	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Detail

Fair Value Measurements (Details) (Assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Level 1 | U.S. treasuries	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	$130,977	$278,698
Level 2	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Derivative instrument	907	248
Level 2 | Corporate debt	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	77,601	'
Level 2 | Government agency securities	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	61,013	123,054
Level 2 | Commercial paper	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	11,947	'
Level 3	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Contingent consideration	-29,368	'
Fair Value	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Derivative instrument	907	248
Contingent consideration	-29,368	'
Fair Value | U.S. treasuries	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	130,977	278,698
Fair Value | Corporate debt	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	77,601	'
Fair Value | Government agency securities	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	61,013	123,054
Fair Value | Commercial paper	'	'
Major categories of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis, at fair value	'	'
Cash equivalents and short-term investments	$11,947	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Detail1

Fair Value Measurements (Details 2) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Level 3

Level 3

Level 3

Level 3

Data Storage

LED And Solar

LED And Solar

Purchase order related contingent payments

Purchase order related contingent payments

Revenue and gross margin related contingent payments

Revenue and gross margin related contingent payments

Minimum

Maximum

Minimum

Maximum

Reconciliation of the amount in Level 3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Addition of contingent consideration

'

'

'

($33,539,000)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Payment on contingent consideration

'

'

'

5,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair value adjustment of contingent consideration

'

'

'

-829,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance at the end of the period

'

'

-29,368,000

-29,368,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Measurement of certain assets for fair value on a non-recurring basis

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Discount rate (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

3.60%

13.00%

15.50%

30.50%

'

'

'

Impairment of tools held in property, plant and equipment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

900,000

Impairment of assets held in other assets

'

'

300,000

300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Other assets

'

'

38,726,000

38,726,000

16,781,000

'

'

'

'

'

100,000

'

'

Asset impairment

$0

$0

'

$1,220,000

$1,335,000

$584,000

'

'

'

'

$1,300,000

$900,000

'

Business_Combinations_Details

Business Combinations (Details) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Apr. 04, 2011

Apr. 04, 2011

Oct. 02, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Oct. 02, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2013

In-process research and development

Core technology

Customer relationship

Trademarks and tradenames

Non-compete agreement

Privately-held company

Privately-held company

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Synos

Core technology

LED And Solar

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration One - Customer purchase orders

Consideration Two - Revenue and gross margin

Consideration Two - Revenue and gross margin

Consideration Two - Revenue and gross margin

Minimum

Maximum

Second Milestone

Second Milestone

Second Milestone

Minimum

Maximum

Forecast

Forecast

Forecast

Minimum

Maximum

Business combination

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Cash paid to acquire a privately-held company

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$28,300,000

'

$71,488,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Definite-lived intangibles

'

'

'

'

73,160,000

20,630,000

140,000

270,000

16,400,000

13,600,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Goodwill

35,520,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

14,700,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of outstanding common shares and voting interest acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

100.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair value of the consideration transferred

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Cash (net of cash acquired)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

28,300,000

'

71,488,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Working capital adjustment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-2,695,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Contingent consideration

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

33,539,000

'

'

'

'

'

24,300,000

'

'

'

'

'

9,200,000

'

'

Total

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

102,332,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amount of consideration payable if contingencies are not achieved

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0

'

'

'

'

'

Amount of consideration payable if contingencies are achieved

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

17,500,000

35,000,000

'

'

'

Maximum contingent consideration based on defined milestones

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

40,000,000

'

'

'

75,000,000

'

'

Contingent consideration earned and paid

5,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Discount rate (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3.60%

13.00%

'

'

'

'

15.50%

30.50%

Amount of increase in contingent consideration as a result of changes in the fair value

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

800,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Summary of estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Account receivable

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,523,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Inventory

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

386,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Other current assets

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

512,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Property, plant, and equipment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,917,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Intangible assets

'

99,270,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

99,270,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total identifiable assets acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

103,608,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Current liabilities

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

4,370,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Estimated deferred tax liability, net

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

32,426,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total liabilities assumed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

36,796,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net identifiable assets acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

66,812,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Goodwill

91,348,000

'

55,828,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

35,520,000

'

'

'

35,500,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net assets acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

102,332,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Goodwill is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Changes in the recognized amounts of goodwill resulting from the acquisition

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Intangible assets acquired and the estimated weighted-average useful life

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Finite lived intangible assets acquired, amount

'

'

'

'

73,160,000

20,630,000

140,000

270,000

16,400,000

13,600,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Indefinite lived intangible assets acquired, amount

'

'

'

5,070,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Intangible assets acquired, amount

'

99,270,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

99,270,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Average useful life

'

'

'

'

'14 years

'8 years

'1 year

'3 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Acquisition related costs

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revenue and income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revenue

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

409,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net Income (loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-6,480,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Pro forma consolidated statement of operations

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revenue

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

346,319,000

522,029,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

($60,983,000)

$16,840,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta

Balance Sheet Information (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Total available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Amortized Cost	$281,489,000	$192,158,000	'
Gains in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	86,000	76,000	'
Losses in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	-37,000	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	281,538,000	192,234,000	'
Short-term investments, unrealized loss position fair value	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, fair value	66,722,000	'	'
Total, fair value	66,722,000	'	'
Short-term investments, gross unrealized loss	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, gross unrealized loss	-37,000	'	'
Total, gross unrealized loss	-37,000	'	'
Proceeds from sales and maturities of available-for-sale securities	499,645,000	244,929,000	707,649,000
Gross realized gains on available-for-sale securities	100,000	'	'
Aggregate unrealized fair value loss which had been in an unrealized loss position for 12 months or longer	0	'	'
Estimated fair value of contractual maturities of available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Due in one year or less	196,015,000	'	'
Due in 1-2 years	64,156,000	'	'
Due in 2-3 years	21,367,000	'	'
Total available-for-sale securities	281,538,000	192,234,000	'
Maximum	'	'	'
Short-term investments, gross unrealized loss	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, gross unrealized loss	-100,000	'	'
Tax impact on the unrealized gains	100,000	'	'
U.S. treasuries	'	'	'
Total available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Amortized Cost	130,956,000	184,102,000	'
Gains in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	22,000	76,000	'
Losses in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	-1,000	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	130,977,000	184,178,000	'
Short-term investments, unrealized loss position fair value	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, fair value	29,068,000	'	'
Total, fair value	29,068,000	'	'
Short-term investments, gross unrealized loss	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, gross unrealized loss	-1,000	'	'
Total, gross unrealized loss	-1,000	'	'
Government agency securities	'	'	'
Total available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Amortized Cost	61,004,000	8,056,000	'
Gains in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	9,000	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	61,013,000	8,056,000	'
Corporate debt	'	'	'
Total available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Amortized Cost	77,582,000	'	'
Gains in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	55,000	'	'
Losses in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	-36,000	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	77,601,000	'	'
Short-term investments, unrealized loss position fair value	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, fair value	37,654,000	'	'
Total, fair value	37,654,000	'	'
Short-term investments, gross unrealized loss	'	'	'
Less than 12 months, gross unrealized loss	-36,000	'	'
Total, gross unrealized loss	-36,000	'	'
Commercial paper	'	'	'
Total available-for-sale securities	'	'	'
Amortized Cost	11,947,000	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	$11,947,000	'	'

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta1

Balance Sheet Information (Details 2) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Restricted Cash	'	'
Restricted cash	$2,738,000	$2,017,000
Accounts Receivable, Net	'	'
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable (in dollars)	2,400,000	500,000
Inventories	'	'
Materials	34,301,000	36,523,000
Work in process	12,900,000	13,363,000
Finished goods	12,525,000	9,921,000
Inventories	59,726,000	59,807,000
Collateral for Bank Guarantees	'	'
Restricted Cash	'	'
Restricted cash	$2,700,000	$2,000,000

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta2

Balance Sheet Information (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Gross property, plant, and equipment at cost	$180,701,000	$177,860,000	'
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	91,562,000	79,558,000	'
Net property, plant, and equipment at cost	89,139,000	98,302,000	'
Depreciation expense	12,900,000	11,300,000	8,200,000
Land	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Gross property, plant, and equipment at cost	12,535,000	12,535,000	'
Building and improvements	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Gross property, plant, and equipment at cost	52,050,000	49,498,000	'
Building and improvements | Minimum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'10 years	'	'
Building and improvements | Maximum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'40 years	'	'
Machinery and equipment	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Gross property, plant, and equipment at cost	110,228,000	110,150,000	'
Machinery and equipment | Minimum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'3 years	'	'
Machinery and equipment | Maximum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'10 years	'	'
Leaseholds improvements	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Gross property, plant, and equipment at cost	$5,888,000	$5,677,000	'
Leaseholds improvements | Minimum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'3 years	'	'
Leaseholds improvements | Maximum	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'7 years	'	'

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta3

Balance Sheet Information (Details 4) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 02, 2013	Oct. 02, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
						LED And Solar	Tools	Tools
								LED And Solar
Property, plant and equipment, held for sale	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Assets held for sale	'	'	'	'	'	'	$7,200,000	'
Assets converted and sold	'	'	'	'	'	'	3,700,000	'
Aggregate selling price	'	'	'	'	'	'	7,400,000	'
Asset impairment charge	0	0	1,220,000	1,335,000	584,000	900,000	'	900,000
Goodwill	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	'	'	55,828,000	'	'	'	'	'
Acquisition	'	'	35,520,000	'	'	'	'	'
Balance at the end of the period	'	'	$91,348,000	$55,828,000	'	'	'	'

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta4

Balance Sheet Information (Details 5) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, unless otherwise specified		Trademarks, tradenames and IPR&D	Trademarks and tradenames
Indefinite-lived intangible assets	'	'	'
Indefinite-lived intangible assets	$8	$8	$2.90

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta5

Balance Sheet Information (Details 6) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 28, 2010	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Intangible Assets	'	'	'	'	'
Gross intangible assets	'	$228,153,000	$128,883,000	'	'
Less accumulated amortization	'	-113,437,000	-107,909,000	'	'
Intangible assets, net	'	114,716,000	20,974,000	'	'
Estimated aggregate amortization expense	'	'	'	'	'
2014	'	11,569,000	'	'	'
2015	'	19,376,000	'	'	'
2016	'	18,498,000	'	'	'
2017	'	15,876,000	'	'	'
2018	'	12,244,000	'	'	'
Other Assets	'	'	'	'	'
Cost method investment	'	16,884,000	14,494,000	'	'
Income taxes receivable	'	21,128,000	'	'	'
Other	'	714,000	2,287,000	'	'
Other assets	'	38,726,000	16,781,000	'	'
Cost Method Investment	'	'	'	'	'
Cost method investments	3,000,000	2,391,000	10,341,000	1,200,000	'
Interest rate on bridge notes	'	4.00%	'	'	'
Percentage ownership of preferred shares	'	15.40%	'	'	'
Percentage ownership of cost method investee	'	11.00%	'	'	'
Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'
Payroll and related benefits	'	11,020,000	14,581,000	'	'
Sales, use and other taxes	'	5,402,000	6,480,000	'	'
Contingent consideration	'	20,098,000	'	'	'
Warranty	'	5,662,000	4,942,000	'	'
Restructuring liability	'	533,000	1,875,000	'	714,000
Other	'	8,369,000	13,523,000	'	'
Total	'	51,084,000	41,401,000	'	'
Customer deposits and deferred revenue	'	'	'	'	'
Customer deposits	'	27,500,000	32,700,000	'	'
Warranty period of products purchased	'	'1 year	'	'	'
Accrued Warranty	'	'	'	'	'
Balance as of the beginning of period	'	4,942,000	8,731,000	'	'
Warranties issued during the period	'	5,291,000	3,563,000	'	'
Settlements made during the period	'	-15,580,000	-7,060,000	'	'
Changes in estimates	'	1,009,000	-292,000	'	'
Balance as of the end of period	'	5,662,000	4,942,000	8,731,000	'
Other Liabilities	'	'	'	'	'
Contingent consideration	'	9,270,000	'	'	'
Income taxes payable	'	'	3,986,000	'	'
Other	'	379,000	544,000	'	'
Other liabilities	'	9,649,000	4,530,000	'	'
Purchased technology	'	'	'	'	'
Intangible Assets	'	'	'	'	'
Gross intangible assets	'	187,478,000	109,248,000	'	'
Less accumulated amortization	'	-97,524,000	-93,436,000	'	'
Intangible assets, net	'	89,954,000	15,812,000	'	'
Other intangible assets	'	'	'	'	'
Intangible Assets	'	'	'	'	'
Gross intangible assets	'	40,675,000	19,635,000	'	'
Less accumulated amortization	'	-15,913,000	-14,473,000	'	'
Intangible assets, net	'	$24,762,000	$5,162,000	'	'

Balance_Sheet_Information_Deta6

Balance Sheet Information (Details 7) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'	'
Gross	$4,607	$5,831
Taxes	14	142
Net	4,621	5,973
Translation adjustment	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'	'
Gross	5,718	7,040
Taxes	-392	-339
Net	5,326	6,701
Minimum pension liability	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'	'
Gross	-1,160	-1,285
Taxes	424	510
Net	-736	-775
Unrealized gain on available for sale securities	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	'	'
Gross	49	76
Taxes	-18	-29
Net	$31	$47

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Long-term debt maturities	'	'
2014	$290,000	'
2015	314,000	'
2016	340,000	'
2017	368,000	'
2018	398,000	'
Thereafter	427,000	'
Total long-term debt	2,137,000	'
Less current portion	290,000	268,000
Long-term debt, net of current portion	1,847,000	2,138,000
Mortgage Payable	'	'
Debt	'	'
Land and buildings	4,700,000	4,800,000
Principal balance	2,100,000	2,400,000
Annual interest rate accrued on mortgage (as a percent)	7.91%	7.91%
Fair value of debt instrument	$2,300,000	$2,600,000

Debt_Details_2

Debt (Details 2) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Apr. 16, 2007	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011
Debt	'	'	'	'
Loss on extinguishment of debt	'	'	'	$3,349,000
Components of interest expense recorded on the notes	'	'	'	'
Accretion of the discount on the Notes	'	'	'	1,260,000
Convertible Notes	'	'	'	'
Debt	'	'	'	'
Original conversion rate, number of shares to be issued per $1000 of principal amount of notes (in shares)	36.7277	'	'	'
Convertible debt principal amount, basis for exchange	1,000	'	'	'
Conversion price of convertible notes (in dollars per share)	$27.23	$50.59	$45.95	'
Premium over the closing market price of common stock on April 16, 2007 (as a percent)	38.00%	'	'	'
Principal of notes tendered for conversion	'	'	7,500,000	'
Notes tendered, cash paid	'	98,100,000	7,500,000	'
Notes tendered, shares issued upon conversion	'	1,660,095	111,318	'
Loss on extinguishment of debt	'	3,000,000	300,000	'
Components of interest expense recorded on the notes	'	'	'	'
Contractual interest	'	'	'	2,025,000
Accretion of the discount on the Notes	'	'	'	1,260,000
Total interest expense on the Notes	'	'	'	$3,285,000
Effective interest rate (as a percent)	'	'	'	6.70%

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_2

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity (Details) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 10, 2013

Dec. 10, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 10, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Inducement Plan

Inducement Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2000 Stock Incentive Plan

2000 Stock Incentive Plan

2000 Stock Incentive Plan

CIGS Solar Systems Business

Stock options

Stock options

Stock options

Stock options

Stock options

Stock options

Stock options

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted Stock

Restricted stock units

Restricted stock units

Restricted stock units

Maximum

Maximum

Minimum

Maximum

Inducement Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

Key employees

Non-employee members of the Board of Directors

Non-employee members of the Board of Directors

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

2010 Stock Incentive Plan

Inducement Plan

Inducement Plan

Inducement Plan

Minimum

Maximum

Maximum

Minimum

Maximum

Minimum

Maximum

Equity Compensation Plans

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Stock issued (in shares)

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124,500

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87,000

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Maximum number of shares authorized to be issued

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6,750,000

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Number of additional shares authorized

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3,250,000

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Common stock available for issuance (in shares)

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0

2,995,000

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Awards granted (in shares)

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255,000

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Vesting period

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'2 years

'5 years

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'3 years

'3 years

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'4 years

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'1 year

'1 year

'5 years

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'2 years

'4 years

Term of awards

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'10 years

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'7 years

'10 years

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Number of options outstanding (in shares)

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124,500

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727,552

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2,598,000

2,322,000

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1,746,092

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Awards granted (in shares)

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539,000

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Awards granted (in shares)

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798,000

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797,583

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16,165

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Expiration term

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'7 years

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Equity compensation expense

$13,130,000

$13,854,000

$12,807,000

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$700,000

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Unrecognized equity-based compensation costs

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12,300,000

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33,200,000

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Period over which unrecognized equity-based compensation costs will be recognized

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'2 years 2 months 12 days

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'3 years 1 month 6 days

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Assumptions based on which fair value of each option granted was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model

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Weighted-average expected stock-price volatility (as a percent)

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48.00%

59.00%

55.00%

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Weighted-average expected option life

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'5 years

'5 years

'4 years

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Average risk-free interest rate (as a percent)

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1.27%

0.70%

1.40%

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Average dividend yield (as a percent)

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0.00%

0.00%

0.00%

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Other disclosures

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Granted (in shares)

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798,000

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797,583

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16,165

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Shares cancelled in 2013 due to employees electing to receive fewer shares in lieu of paying withholding taxes

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71,342

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Total grant date fair value of shares vested

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$7,900,000

$5,400,000

$9,700,000

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'

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_3

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units	'	'	'
Restricted stock awards including restricted stock units, Shares	'	'	'
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)	693,000	'	'
Granted (in shares)	798,000	'	'
Vested (in shares)	-207,000	'	'
Forfeited (including cancelled awards) (in shares)	-126,000	'	'
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)	1,158,000	'	'
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value	'	'	'
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$36.11	'	'
Granted (in dollars per share)	$33.16	'	'
Vested (in dollars per share)	$32.44	'	'
Forfeited (including cancelled awards) (in dollars per share)	$34.33	'	'
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$34.93	'	'
Stock options	'	'	'
Stock option awards, Shares	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)	2,322,000	'	'
Granted (in shares)	539,000	'	'
Exercised (in shares)	-149,000	'	'
Forfeited (including cancelled options) (in shares)	-114,000	'	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	2,598,000	2,322,000	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	1,567,000	'	'
Weighted Average Exercise price	'	'	'
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$28.63	'	'
Granted (in dollars per share)	$32.68	'	'
Exercised (in dollars per share)	$14.74	'	'
Forfeited (including cancelled options) (in dollars per share)	$35.22	'	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$29.98	$28.63	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$27.19	'	'
Aggregate Intrinsic Value	'	'	'
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars)	$14,277,000	'	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars)	13,208,000	'	'
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life	'	'	'
Outstanding at the end of the period	'6 years 6 months	'	'
Options exercisable at the end of the period	'4 years 8 months 12 days	'	'
Other disclosures	'	'	'
Weighted-average grant date fair value (in dollars per share)	$13.47	$15.56	$21.90
Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised	$2,500,000	$6,800,000	$22,800,000

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_4

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Shares Reserved for Future Issuance	'
Issuance upon exercise of stock options and grants of restricted stock (in shares)	5,856,268
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	2,598,000
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life	'6 years 6 months
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$29.98
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	1,567,000
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$27.19
Range of Exercise Prices from $8.82 to $16.37	'
Information about stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$8.82
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$16.37
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	432,000
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life	'2 years 4 months 24 days
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$10.98
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	432,000
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$10.98
Range of Exercise Prices from $17.48 to $26.69	'
Information about stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$17.48
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$26.69
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	296,000
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life	'2 years 2 months 12 days
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$19.85
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	278,000
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$19.55
Range of Exercise Prices from $28.60 to $42.96	'
Information about stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$28.60
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$42.96
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	1,601,000
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life	'8 years 2 months 12 days
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$33.43
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	674,000
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$34.27
Range of Exercise Prices from $44.09 to $51.70	'
Information about stock options outstanding	'
Exercise price, low end of range (in dollars per share)	$44.09
Exercise price, high end of range (in dollars per share)	$51.70
Options Outstanding	'
Number Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	269,000
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life	'7 years 4 months 24 days
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$51.02
Options Exercisable	'
Number Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	183,000
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$50.96

Equity_Compensation_Plans_and_5

Equity Compensation Plans and Equity (Details 4) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 24, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
			Treasury Stock	Treasury Stock	Treasury Stock	Retained Earnings	Common Stock	Common Stock
Treasury Stock Activity	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Authorized amount of common stock repurchase (in dollars)	$200,000,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Treasury stock (in shares)	'	'	'	4,160,228	1,118,600	'	'	4,160,228
Amount of shares repurchased including transaction costs (in dollars)	'	162,077,000	'	162,000,000	38,000,000	'	'	'
Average cost of per share repurchased (in dollars per share)	'	'	'	$38.96	$34.06	'	'	'
Treasury shares cancelled and retired	'	'	5,278,828	'	'	'	'	'
Reduction due to retirement of treasury stock	'	'	200,200,000	'	'	'	'	'
Reduction in treasury stock due to retirement	'	'	'	'	'	$200,100,000	$100,000	'

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	'	'	'
Domestic	($84,942)	$5,811	$230,204
Foreign	13,732	32,375	41,882
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	($71,210)	$38,186	$272,086

Income_Taxes_Details_2

Income Taxes (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current:	'	'	'
Federal	($21,022)	$2,515	$59,921
Foreign	3,921	7,576	10,714
State and local	148	-317	805
Total current provision (benefit) for income taxes	-16,953	9,774	71,440
Deferred:	'	'	'
Federal	-11,589	-482	10,454
Foreign	-462	727	-1,073
State and local	57	1,638	763
Total deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	-11,994	1,883	10,144
Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	($28,947)	$11,657	$81,584

Income_Taxes_Details_3

Income Taxes (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			24 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Oct. 02, 2013
					Synos
Income Taxes	'	'	'	'	'
Income tax provision (benefit) at U.S. statutory rates	($24,923,000)	$13,366,000	$95,231,000	'	'
State income tax expense (benefit), (net of federal impact)	-1,554,000	-89,000	1,616,000	'	'
Nondeductible expenses	195,000	622,000	-749,000	'	'
Domestic production activities deduction	1,554,000	-489,000	-4,581,000	'	'
Nondeductible compensation	11,000	205,000	841,000	'	'
Research and development tax credit	-3,151,000	-3,013,000	-4,675,000	'	'
Net change in valuation allowance	2,420,000	2,943,000	121,000	'	'
Change in accrual for unrecognized tax benefits	577,000	533,000	824,000	'	'
Foreign tax rate differential	-4,275,000	-2,387,000	-5,225,000	'	'
Other	199,000	-34,000	-1,819,000	'	'
Total provision (benefit) for income taxes	-28,947,000	11,657,000	81,584,000	'	'
Research and development tax credit attributable to 2012	1,900,000	'	'	'	'
Additional tax of foreign jurisdiction	900,000	4,000,000	'	4,900,000	'
Excess tax benefits from stock option exercises	'	2,119,000	10,406,000	'	'
Increase in additional paid in capital upon realization of research and development credits	500,000	'	'	'	'
Income taxes	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of total outstanding stock acquired	'	'	'	'	100.00%
Deferred tax liability related to acquisition	'	'	'	'	$32,400,000

Income_Taxes_Details_4

Income Taxes (Details 4) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Deferred tax assets:	'	'
Inventory valuation	$6,983,000	$6,386,000
Domestic net operating loss carry forwards	5,585,000	1,144,000
Tax credit carry forwards	12,566,000	4,145,000
Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	821,000	'
Warranty and installation accruals	3,002,000	2,174,000
Equity compensation	10,638,000	9,114,000
Other accruals	2,556,000	3,270,000
Other	1,160,000	760,000
Total deferred tax assets	43,311,000	26,993,000
Valuation allowance	-7,753,000	-4,708,000
Net deferred tax assets	35,558,000	22,285,000
Deferred tax liabilities:	'	'
Purchased intangible assets	45,208,000	9,973,000
Undistributed earnings	1,737,000	1,095,000
Depreciation	4,711,000	7,014,000
Total deferred tax liabilities	51,656,000	18,082,000
Net deferred taxes	-16,098,000	4,203,000
Provision on withholding taxes of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	0	'
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries	101,000,000	'
Foreign tax credit carry forward expiration period between 2022 and 2023	12,600,000	'
Valuation allowance	'	'
Increase in valuation allowance	3,000,000	'
State and local	'	'
Valuation allowance	'	'
Increase in valuation allowance	1,600,000	'
Foreign tax	'	'
Valuation allowance	'	'
Increase in valuation allowance	$1,400,000	'

Income_Taxes_Details_5

Income Taxes (Details 5) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	item
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	$5,818,000	$4,748,000
Additions for tax positions related to current year	324,000	435,000
Additions for tax positions relating to prior years	477,000	742,000
Reductions for tax positions relating to prior years	-224,000	-59,000
Reductions due to the lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	'	-48,000
Settlements	-167,000	'
Balance at the end of the period	6,228,000	5,818,000
Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits	$800,000	$500,000
Number of states currently under examination for open tax years between 2007 and 2011	1	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	$1,800,000	$2,000,000	$1,485,000	$3,813,000	$1,288,000
Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	'	'	1,485,000	3,040,000	1,288,000
Personnel severance charges	'	'	1,500,000	3,000,000	1,300,000
Number of employees impacted	'	'	'	52	65
Equity compensation and related costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	'	'	'	414,000	'
Lease-related and other	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	'	'	'	359,000	'
Other associated costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Number of employees impacted	'	'	'	52	'
Other associated costs	'	'	'	400,000	'
Data Storage	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Inventory write-offs	1,000,000	'	'	1,000,000	'
LED And Solar	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Inventory write-offs	'	'	'	'	$800,000

Commitments_and_Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	$1,875	'	$714
Short-term/long-term reclassification	'	'	58
Cash payments	-2,827	-1,774	-850
Balance at the end of the period	533	1,875	'
Reconciliation of long-term liability	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	'	'	58
Short-term/long-term reclassification	'	'	-58
Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Restructuring	1,485	2,693	1,034
Operating segment | LED And Solar	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Cash payments	-1,282	-960	-138
Balance at the end of the period	183	'	'
Operating segment | LED And Solar | Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Restructuring	1,017	874	672
Operating segment | Data Storage	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	'	'	178
Short-term/long-term reclassification	'	'	58
Cash payments	-1,368	-504	-159
Balance at the end of the period	350	'	'
Reconciliation of long-term liability	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	'	'	58
Short-term/long-term reclassification	'	'	-58
Operating segment | Data Storage | Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Restructuring	410	1,684	51
Unallocated	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Balance at the beginning of the period	'	'	536
Cash payments	-177	-310	-553
Unallocated | Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'
Reconciliation of short-term liability	'	'	'
Restructuring	$58	$135	$311

Commitments_and_Contingencies_4

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Minimum lease commitments for property and equipment	'	'	'
Rent expenses	$2,900,000	$3,500,000	$2,700,000
Property and equipment	'	'	'
Minimum lease commitments for property and equipment	'	'	'
2014	3,076,000	'	'
2015	2,091,000	'	'
2016	1,327,000	'	'
2017	1,052,000	'	'
2018	536,000	'	'
Total	$8,082,000	'	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_5

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details 4)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2012

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

Net Sales

Net Sales

Net Sales

Net Sales

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Credit Concentration Risk

Customer Concentration Risk

Customer Concentration Risk

Customer Concentration Risk

Customer Concentration Risk

Top Ten Customers

Top Ten Customers

LED & Solar

LED & Solar

LED & Solar

LED & Solar

Data Storage

Data Storage

Data Storage

Data Storage

Data Storage

LED & Solar

LED & Solar

LED & Solar

Data Storage

item

Customer C

Customer C

Customer A

Customer A

Customer B

Customer C

Customer D

Customer E

Customer A

Concentration of Credit Risk

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of top customers

10

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of total accounts receivable from top customers

69.00%

77.00%

30.00%

56.00%

'

'

39.00%

21.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Concentration Risk (as a percent)

'

'

'

'

10.00%

16.00%

'

'

23.00%

16.00%

11.00%

14.00%

11.00%

12.00%

14.00%

Commitments_and_Contingencies_6

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details 5) (USD $)

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Minimum

Maximum

Japan

Japan

Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific

China

China

Singapore

Singapore

Taiwan

Taiwan

Other

Other

Americas

Americas

EMEA

EMEA

Minimum

Maximum

Concentration of accounts receivable balance in geographic locations

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Credit period for accounts receivable

'

'

'30 days

'90 days

'60 days

'150 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Accounts receivable, net

$23,823,000

$63,169,000

'

'

'

'

$14,752,000

$45,641,000

$4,845,000

$28,132,000

$3,192,000

$7,266,000

$553,000

$6,390,000

$6,162,000

$3,853,000

$7,526,000

$13,917,000

$1,545,000

$3,611,000

Purchase Commitments

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Purchase commitments due within one year

60,300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Supplier deposits against purchase commitments

$9,400,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_7

Commitments and Contingencies and Other Matters (Details 6) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Guarantees	'	'
Letters of credit outstanding	$600,000	'
Bank guarantees outstanding	5,900,000	'
Restricted cash	2,738,000	2,017,000
Unused lines of credit	40,400,000	'
Collateral for Bank Guarantees	'	'
Guarantees	'	'
Restricted cash	$2,700,000	$2,000,000

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_2

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net Sales to Unaffiliated Customers	$73,209	$99,324	$97,435	$61,781	$106,849	$132,715	$136,547	$139,909	$331,749	$516,020	$979,135
Long-Lived Assets	89,139	'	'	'	98,302	'	'	'	89,139	98,302	88,408
Minimum percentage of net sales to qualify as a customer concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10.00%	'	'
Americas	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net Sales to Unaffiliated Customers	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	57,609	83,317	100,635
Long-Lived Assets	66,002	'	'	'	74,497	'	'	'	66,002	74,497	67,788
Other | Net Sales to Customers | Geographic Concentration Risk | Maximum	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of net sales of customers to total net sales	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1.00%	'	'
EMEA	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net Sales to Unaffiliated Customers	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	21,941	41,708	57,617
Long-Lived Assets	95	'	'	'	36	'	'	'	95	36	203
Asia Pacific	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net Sales to Unaffiliated Customers	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	252,199	390,995	820,883
Long-Lived Assets	$23,042	'	'	'	$23,769	'	'	'	$23,042	$23,769	$20,417
China | Net Sales to Customers | Geographic Concentration Risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of net sales of customers to total net sales	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	44.80%	42.00%	66.40%
Taiwan | Net Sales to Customers | Geographic Concentration Risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales attributable to the geographic location in which the customer facility is located and long-lived assets related to operations in United States and other foreign countries	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of net sales of customers to total net sales	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	11.40%	'

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_3

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information (Details 2) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, unless otherwise specified

Oct. 02, 2013

Oct. 02, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

item

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of reporting units

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5

'

'

Number of reportable segments

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net sales

'

'

$73,209

$99,324

$97,435

$61,781

$106,849

$132,715

$136,547

$139,909

$331,749

$516,020

$979,135

Segment profit (Loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-49,621

62,098

296,430

Interest income (expense), net

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

602

974

-824

Amortization

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-5,527

-4,908

-4,734

Equity-based compensation

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-13,130

-13,854

-12,807

Restructuring

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,800

-2,000

'

'

-1,485

-3,813

-1,288

Asset impairment charge

0

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,220

-1,335

-584

Changes in contingent consideration

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-829

'

'

Other

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-976

-758

Loss on extinguishment of debt

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-3,349

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-71,210

38,186

272,086

LED And Solar

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Asset impairment charge

'

'

-900

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Data Storage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Asset impairment charge

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,300

'

'

'

'

'

'

Operating segment | LED And Solar

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net sales

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

249,742

363,181

827,797

Segment profit (Loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-26,362

41,603

267,059

Amortization

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-4,233

-3,586

-3,227

Equity-based compensation

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-5,126

-5,400

-3,473

Restructuring

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,017

-1,233

-204

Asset impairment charge

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,174

'

-584

Changes in contingent consideration

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-829

'

'

Other

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-758

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-38,741

31,384

258,813

Operating segment | Data Storage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net sales

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

82,007

152,839

151,338

Segment profit (Loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-671

25,414

38,358

Amortization

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,294

-1,322

-1,424

Equity-based compensation

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-1,703

-1,920

-1,458

Restructuring

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-410

-2,521

-12

Asset impairment charge

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-46

-1,335

'

Other

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-976

'

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-4,124

17,340

35,464

Unallocated

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reconciliation of Segment profit (loss) to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income tax

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment profit (Loss)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-22,588

-4,919

-8,987

Interest income (expense), net

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

602

974

-824

Amortization

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-83

Equity-based compensation

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-6,301

-6,534

-7,876

Restructuring

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-58

-59

-1,072

Loss on extinguishment of debt

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

-3,349

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

($28,345)

($10,538)

($22,191)

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_4

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information (Details 3) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'
Goodwill	$91,348	$55,828
Total assets	947,969	937,304
Operating segment | LED And Solar	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'
Goodwill	91,348	55,828
Total assets	359,464	276,352
Operating segment | Data Storage	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'
Total assets	37,910	38,664
Unallocated	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'
Total assets	$550,595	$622,288

Foreign_Operations_Geographic_5

Foreign Operations, Geographic Area and Product Segment Information (Details 4) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	$18,425	$16,192	$12,892
Expenditures for long-lived assets	9,174	24,994	60,364
Operating segment | LED And Solar	'	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	14,365	12,020	8,320
Expenditures for long-lived assets	6,796	20,279	56,141
Operating segment | Data Storage	'	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	2,907	3,008	3,245
Expenditures for long-lived assets	1,271	3,341	2,703
Unallocated	'	'	'
Reconciliation of Segment goodwill and total assets to Consolidated goodwill and total assets	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	1,153	1,164	1,327
Expenditures for long-lived assets	$1,108	$1,374	$1,520

Derivative_Financial_Instrumen2

Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Foreign currency exchange forwards	'	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'	'
Amount of realized net gain (loss) and changes in the fair value of derivatives	$248,000	$333,000	$553,000
Weighted average notional amount of derivatives outstanding	5,200,000	3,500,000	'
Foreign currency collar	'	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'	'
Amount of realized net gain (loss) and changes in the fair value of derivatives	906,000	'	'
Not Designated as Hedges	'	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	907,000	248,000	'
Notional amount of derivative instruments	38,769,000	9,590,000	'
Not Designated as Hedges | Foreign currency exchange forwards	'	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	1,000	248,000	'
Notional amount of derivative instruments	4,700,000	9,590,000	'
Not Designated as Hedges | Foreign currency collar	'	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	906,000	'	'
Notional amount of derivative instruments	$34,069,000	'	'

Retirement_Plans_Details

Retirement Plans (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2013
	item			item
Retirement Plans	'	'	'	'
Employer's matching contribution for every dollar the employees contribute (as a percent)	50.00%	50.00%	50.00%	'
Employer's matching contribution, maximum	$7,650	$7,500	$3,000	'
Employer's contribution as a percentage of employee's eligible compensation, maximum	3.00%	3.00%	'	'
Employer's matching contribution, vesting period (in years)	'5 years	'	'	'
Number of foreign subsidiaries	1	'	'	'
Aggregate employer's contribution to pension plans	2,300,000	2,500,000	2,100,000	'
Number of participants	'	'	'	110
Contract assets under the plan	'	'	'	$1,600,000

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I2

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net sales	$73,209	$99,324	$97,435	$61,781	$106,849	$132,715	$136,547	$139,909	$331,749	$516,020	$979,135
Gross profit	15,642	30,308	34,640	22,552	38,727	49,884	61,254	65,268	103,142	215,133	474,334
Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of income taxes	-22,085	-6,026	-4,081	-10,071	-8,642	7,698	11,011	16,462	-42,263	26,529	190,502
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes	'	'	'	'	-413	4,055	807	-50	'	4,399	-62,515
Net income (loss)	($22,085)	($6,026)	($4,081)	($10,071)	($9,055)	$11,753	$11,818	$16,412	($42,263)	$30,928	$127,987
Basic:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.22)	$0.20	$0.29	$0.43	($1.09)	$0.69	$4.80
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	'	'	'	'	($0.01)	$0.10	$0.02	'	'	$0.11	($1.57)
Income (loss) (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.23)	$0.30	$0.31	$0.43	($1.09)	$0.80	$3.23
Diluted :	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.22)	$0.20	$0.28	$0.42	($1.09)	$0.68	$4.63
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	'	'	'	'	($0.01)	$0.10	$0.02	'	'	$0.11	($1.52)
Income (loss) (in dollars per share)	($0.57)	($0.16)	($0.11)	($0.26)	($0.23)	$0.30	$0.30	$0.42	($1.09)	$0.79	$3.11
Weighted average shares outstanding:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Basic (in shares)	38,904	38,841	38,764	38,716	38,698	38,577	38,370	38,261	38,807	38,477	39,658
Diluted (in shares)	38,904	38,841	38,764	38,716	38,698	39,169	38,988	38,863	38,807	39,051	41,155

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I3

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details 2) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Oct. 02, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified		Synos
Selected Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)	'	'
Maximum selling price of the product, from which substantial revenue is derived	$8	'
Synos Acquisition	'	'
Percentage of outstanding common shares and voting interest acquired	'	100.00%

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I4

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details 3) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Oct. 07, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2010	Aug. 15, 2010
			Metrology Divestiture	Metrology Divestiture	Metrology Divestiture	Metrology Divestiture
Information related to discontinued operations	'	'	'	'	'	'
Sale amount of discontinued operations as per the agreement	'	'	'	'	'	$229,400,000
Working capital adjustment which is included in total proceeds	'	'	1,000,000	'	'	'
Proceeds from divestiture of businesses	'	'	230,400,000	'	'	'
Amount of proceeds related to assets in China	'	'	7,200,000	'	'	'
Restricted cash	2,738,000	2,017,000	22,900,000	'	'	'
Proceeds received from sale deposit in escrow	'	'	22,900,000	'	'	'
Restriction period on use of proceeds which are held in escrow (in years)	'	'	'1 year	'	'	'
Transaction costs of disposition	'	'	'	'	5,200,000	'
Gain on disposal, pre-tax	'	'	'	'	156,300,000	'
Pre-tax deferred gain related to net assets in China	'	'	'	'	5,400,000	'
Deferred pre-tax gain recognized on sale of business in China	'	'	'	$5,400,000	'	'

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I5

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details 4) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Oct. 02, 2013	Oct. 02, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
							LED And Solar	Data Storage
Other Quarterly Items	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Asset impairment charge	$0	$0	'	$1,220,000	$1,335,000	$584,000	$900,000	$1,300,000
Impairment charges related to other assets	'	'	$300,000	$300,000	'	'	'	'

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I6

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details 5) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	$1,800,000	$2,000,000	$1,485,000	$3,813,000	$1,288,000
Increase in reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory	'	7,200,000	'	'	'
Inventory write downs	1,800,000	'	'	'	'
Personnel severance and related costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	'	'	1,485,000	3,040,000	1,288,000
Headcount reduction	'	'	'	52	65
Equity compensation and related costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring charges	'	'	'	414,000	'
Other severance costs	'	'	'	'	'
Restructuring and other charges	'	'	'	'	'
Other severance costs	'	'	'	$400,000	'
Headcount reduction	'	'	'	52	'

Selected_Quarterly_Financial_I7

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Details 6) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2012

Jun. 30, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Jun. 30, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Sep. 30, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Errors attributable to the misapplication of U.S. GAAP

Errors attributable to the misapplication of U.S. GAAP

Errors attributable to the misapplication of U.S. GAAP

Errors attributable to the misapplication of U.S. GAAP

Restatement adjustment

Restatement adjustment

Overstated cumulative net income from continuing operations

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$600,000

'

'

Understated cumulative net income from continuing operations

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,100,000

'

'

'

Income from continuing operations

($22,085,000)

($6,026,000)

($4,081,000)

($10,071,000)

($8,642,000)

$7,698,000

$11,011,000

$16,462,000

($42,263,000)

$26,529,000

$190,502,000

'

'

$500,000

($600,000)

Schedule_IIValuation_and_Quali1

Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'	'	'
Balance at Beginning of Period	$5,200	$2,233	$2,156
Charged to Costs and Expenses	4,366	3,141	'
Charged to Other Accounts	625	'	'
Deductions	'	-174	77
Balance at End of Period	10,191	5,200	2,233
Allowance for doubtful accounts	'	'	'
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'	'	'
Balance at Beginning of Period	492	468	512
Charged to Costs and Expenses	1,946	198	'
Deductions	'	-174	-44
Balance at End of Period	2,438	492	468
Valuation allowance in net deferred tax assets	'	'	'
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'	'	'
Balance at Beginning of Period	4,708	1,765	1,644
Charged to Costs and Expenses	2,420	2,943	'
Charged to Other Accounts	625	'	'
Deductions	'	'	121
Balance at End of Period	$7,753	$4,708	$1,765