Exar (EXAR) 10-Q 6 Feb 15 2015 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Feb. 04, 2015
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Exar Corporation
Document Type	10-Q
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-26
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		47,443,328
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Entity Central Index Key	753568
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Period End Date	28-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$52,622	$14,614
Short-term marketable securities		152,420
Accounts receivable (net of allowances of $1,215 and $1,178)	28,688	15,023
Accounts receivable, related party (net of allowances of $709 and $608)	865	3,309
Inventories	33,066	28,982
Other current assets	5,487	3,549
Total current assets	120,728	217,897
Property, plant and equipment, net	20,673	21,280
Goodwill	44,871	30,410
Intangible assets, net	89,888	31,390
Other non-current assets	1,306	1,240
Total assets	277,466	302,217
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	17,504	15,488
Accrued compensation and related benefits	6,283	4,174
Deferred income and allowances on sales to distributors	3,585	1,765
Deferred income and allowances on sales to distributors, related party	8,110	9,349
Other current liabilities	14,387	11,370
Total current liabilities	49,869	42,146
Long-term lease financing obligations	1,479	70
Other non-current obligations	5,405	6,626
Total liabilities	56,753	48,842
Commitments and contingencies (Notes 14, 15 and 16)
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 47,261,975 and 47,336,005 shares outstanding	5	5
Additional paid-in capital	516,456	508,116
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-25	-1,079
Accumulated deficit	-295,723	-253,667
Total stockholders' equity	220,713	253,375
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$277,466	$302,217

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parentheticals) (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Accounts receivable, allowances	$1,215	$1,178
Common stock par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	47,261,975	47,336,005
Related Party [Member]
Accounts receivable, allowances	$709	$608

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Sales:
Net sales	$35,919	$21,846	$91,986	$70,682
Net sales, related party	8,396	8,844	26,207	26,653
Total net sales	44,315	30,690	118,193	97,335
Cost of sales:
Cost of sales	20,113	12,393	52,127	36,576
Cost of sales, related party	3,099	3,556	10,408	11,619
Amortization of purchased intangible assets and inventory step-up	2,533	1,898	9,215	5,346
Research and development	10,035	6,929	28,647	20,245
Selling, general and administrative	11,793	8,829	33,467	25,559
Restructuring charges and exit costs	3,500	100	10,400	1,500
Merger and acquisition costs	179	257	6,955	866
Impairment of Intangibles			12,284
Net change in fair value of contingent consideration		58	-4,343	-2,437
Total operating expenses	23,425	16,147	72,695	45,622
Warranty Reserve, net	-372		-286	1,440
Total cost of sales	27,425	17,864	86,215	55,103
Loss from operations	-6,535	-3,321	-40,717	-3,390
Other income and expense, net:
Interest income and other, net	53	321	520	980
Interest expense	-46	-39	-1,026	-117
Total other income and expense, net	7	282	-506	863
Loss before income taxes	-6,528	-3,039	-41,223	-2,527
(Benefit) Provision for income taxes	71	-1,405	870	-8,181
Net income (loss)	-6,599	-1,634	-42,093	5,654
Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests			-37
Net income (loss) attributable to Exar Corporation	-6,599	-1,634	-42,056	5,654
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic (in Dollars per share)	($0.14)	($0.03)	($0.89)	$0.12
Diluted (in Dollars per share)	($0.14)	($0.03)	($0.89)	$0.12
Shares used in the computation of net income (loss) per share:
Basic (in Shares)	47,119	47,529	47,165	47,277
Diluted (in Shares)	47,119	47,529	47,165	48,815
Gross profit	16,890	12,826	31,978	42,232
Cost of Sales [Member]
Cost of sales:
Restructuring charges and exit costs	2,052	17	6,384	122
Impairment of Intangibles			8,367
Operating Expense [Member]
Cost of sales:
Restructuring charges and exit costs	1,418	74	4,052	1,389
Impairment of Intangibles			$3,917

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Net income (loss)	($6,599)	($1,634)	($42,093)	$5,654
Changes in market value of investments:
Changes in unrealized gain (loss)		-77	199	-495
Reclassification adjustment for net realized gains		67	26	41
Release of tax provision for unrealized gains			828
Net change in market value of investments		-10	1,053	-454
Comprehensive income (loss)	-6,599	-1,644	-41,040	5,200
Less: comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests			-37
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Exar Corporation	($6,599)	($1,644)	($41,003)	$5,200

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)	($42,093)	$5,654
Depreciation and amortization	13,325	9,386
Impairment of Intangibles	12,284
Restructuring charges and exit costs	6,732	-1,279
Stock-based compensation expense	10,949	7,267
Release of deferred tax valuation allowance	828	-6,770
Net change in fair value of contingent consideration	-4,343	-2,437
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable and accounts receivable, related party	-1,125	-7,155
Inventories	-3,506	-3,764
Other current and non-current assets	-1,087	-558
Accounts payable	-2,945	4,849
Accrued compensation and related benefits	-231	659
Other current and non-current liabilities	-5,380	-4,713
Deferred income and allowance to distributors including related party	581	-1,996
Net cash used in operating activities	-16,011	-857
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment and intellectual property, net	-2,447	-1,675
Purchases of short-term marketable securities	-9,296	-166,738
Proceeds from maturities of short-term marketable securities	3,997	24,410
Proceeds from sales of short-term marketable securities	158,412	178,167
Other disposal activities		125
Net cash provided by investing activities	59,124	11,178
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	4,530	3,971
Purchase of stock for withholding taxes on vested restricted stock	-629	-1,042
Proceeds from issuance of debt	91,000
Repayment of debt	-91,000
Repurchase of common stock	-7,999	-4,000
Payments of lease financing obligations	-1,007	-2,898
Net cash used in financing activities	-5,105	-3,969
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	38,008	6,352
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	14,614	14,718
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	52,622	21,070
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow and non-cash information:
Cash paid for income tax	104	119
Cash paid for interest	1,041	863
Engineering design tool acquired under capital lease	2,924
Release of restricted stock upon vesting	408
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisition, net of cash acquired	-91,542
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisition, net of cash acquired		-23,111
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow and non-cash information:
Issuance of common stock in connection with Cadeka acquisition		$5,117

Note_1_Organization_and_Basis_

Note 1 - Organization and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 1.	ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
	Description of Business— Exar Corporation was incorporated in California in 1971 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1991. Exar Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Exar” or “we”) is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets high-performance integrated circuits and system solutions for the High-End Consumer, Industrial & Embedded Systems, and Infrastructure markets. Exar's broad product portfolio includes analog, display, LED lighting, mixed-signal, power management, connectivity, data management, and video processing solutions.
	Basis of Presentation and Use of Management Estimates— The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 30, 2014 as filed with the SEC. In the opinion of management, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, that we believe are necessary for a fair presentation of Exar’s financial position as of December 28, 2014 and our results of operations for the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. These condensed consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year ending March 29, 2015.
	The financial statements include management’s estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and material effects on operating results and financial position may result.
	Our fiscal years consist of 52 or 53 weeks. In a 52-week year, each fiscal quarter consists of 13 weeks. Fiscal years 2015 and 2014 both consist of 52 weeks.

Note_2_Recent_Accounting_Prono

Note 2 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]	NOTE 2.	RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued a new standard, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue to develop a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) that would (1) provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue recognition; (2) improve comparability of revenue recognition practice across entities, industries, jurisdictions, and capital markets; and (3) provide more useful information to users of financial statements through improved disclosure requirements. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Exar is currently evaluating the effect adoption of this standard will have, if any, on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In June 2014, the FASB issued amended standards to provide explicit guidance on the accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance target could be achieved after the requisite service period. Under the amended standards, a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period should be treated as a performance condition and therefore, should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. Compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. If the performance target becomes probable of being achieved before the end of the requisite service period, the remaining unrecognized compensation cost should be recognized prospectively over the remaining requisite service period. The total amount of compensation cost recognized during and after the requisite service period should reflect the number of awards that are expected to vest and should be adjusted to reflect those awards that ultimately vest. These standards are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Exar is currently evaluating the effect of adoption of this standard will have, if any, on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In August 2014, the FASB issued amended standards to provide guidance about management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures requirement. The amendments (1) provide a definition of the term substantial doubt, (2) require an evaluation every reporting period including interim periods, (3) provide principles for considering the mitigating effect of management’s plans, (4) require certain disclosures when substantial doubt is alleviated as a result of consideration of management’s plans, (5) require an express statement and other disclosures when substantial doubt is not alleviated, and (6) require an assessment for a period of one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). These standards are effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Exar does not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Note_3_Business_Combinations

Note 3 - Business Combinations	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 3.	BUSINESS COMBINATIONS
	We periodically evaluate potential strategic acquisitions to broaden our product offering and build upon our existing library of intellectual property, human capital and engineering talent, in order to expand our capabilities in the areas in which we operate or to acquire complementary businesses.
	We account for each business combination by applying the acquisition method, which requires (1) identifying the acquiree; (2) determining the acquisition date; (3) recognizing and measuring the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interest we have in the acquiree at their acquisition date fair value; and (4) recognizing and measuring goodwill or a gain from a bargain purchase.
	Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination that arise from contingencies are recognized at fair value on the acquisition date if fair value can be determined during the measurement period. If fair value cannot be determined, we typically account for the acquired contingencies using existing guidance for a reasonable estimate.
	To establish fair value, we measure the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an ordinary transaction between market participants. The measurement assumes the highest and best use of the asset by the market participants that would maximize the value of the asset or the group of assets within which the asset would be used at the measurement date, even if the intended use of the asset is different.
	Acquisition related costs, including finder’s fees, advisory, legal, accounting, valuation and other professional or consulting fees are accounted for as expenses in the periods in which the costs are incurred and the services are received, with the exception that the costs to issue debt or equity securities are recognized in accordance with other applicable GAAP.
	Acquisition of Integrated Memory Logic
	On June 3, 2014, we acquired approximately 92% of outstanding shares of Integrated Memory Logic Limited (“iML”), a leading provider of analog mixed-signal solutions for the flat panel display market. On September 15, 2014, we completed the acquisition through a second-step merger to acquire all of the remaining outstanding shares of iML. The iML acquisition supports Exar's strategy of building a large scale diversified analog mixed-signal business. iML’s results of operations and estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed were included in our condensed consolidated financial statements beginning June 4, 2014.
	Consideration
	In June 2014, we acquired approximately 92% of iML’s outstanding shares for $206.4 million in cash. In September 2014, we acquired the remaining 8% of iML outstanding shares for $18.9 million, which was paid subsequent to the quarter ended September 28, 2014. Additionally, as required under the terms of the merger agreement, we assumed and converted iML’s employees’ then outstanding options into options to purchase 1.5 million shares of Exar’s common stock. The fair value of pre-merger vested options of $3.8 million was recorded as purchase consideration.
	In accordance with Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations, the acquisition of iML’s outstanding shares was recorded as a purchase business acquisition since iML was considered a business. Under the purchase method of accounting, the fair value of the consideration was allocated to net assets acquired. The fair value of purchased identifiable intangible assets was determined using discounted cash flow models from operating projections prepared by management using an internal rate of return of 16.9%. The excess of the preliminary fair value of consideration paid over the preliminary fair values of net assets acquired and identifiable intangible assets resulted in recognition of goodwill of $14.5 million. Goodwill is primarily from expected synergies resulting from combining the operations of iML with that of Exar and is not deductible for tax purposes.
	The summary of the purchase consideration is as follows (in thousands):
			Amount
	Cash		$	206,411
	Consideration for the acquisition of non-controlling interests			17,872
	Fair value of assumed iML employee options			3,835
	Total purchase price		$	228,118
	Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation
	The preliminary allocation of total purchase price to iML’s tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities assumed was based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition.
	The preliminary fair value allocated to each of the major classes of tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the iML acquisition was as follows (in thousands):
			Amount
	Identifiable tangible assets (liabilities)
	Cash		$	133,752
	Accounts receivable			10,096
	Inventories			3,950
	Other current assets			962
	Property, plant and equipment			480
	Other assets			308
	Current liabilities			(12,356	)
	Long-term liabilities			(3,595	)
	Total identifiable tangible assets (liabilities), net			133,597
	Identifiable intangible assets			80,060
	Total identifiable assets, net			213,657
	Goodwill			14,461
	Fair value of total consideration transferred		$	228,118
	The following table sets forth the components of identifiable intangible assets acquired in connection with the iML acquisition (in thousands):
			Fair Value
	Developed technologies		$	55,780
	In-process research and development			8,100
	Customer relationships			15,060
	Trade names			1,120
	Total identifiable intangible assets		$	80,060
	In valuing specific components of the acquisition, that includes deferred taxes, and intangibles, we were required to make estimates that may be adjusted in the future, if new information is obtained about circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date that, if known, would have resulted in the recognition of those assets and liabilities as of that date. Thus, the purchase price allocation is considered preliminary and dependent upon the finalization of the valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including income tax effects. Final determination of these estimates could result in an adjustment to the preliminary purchase price allocation, with an offsetting adjustment to goodwill.
	Acquisition Related Costs
	Acquisition related costs, or deal costs, relating to iML are included in the merger and acquisition costs and interest expense line on the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014 and were approximately $0.1 and $7.3 million, respectively.
	Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information
	The following unaudited pro forma condensed financial information presents the combined results of operations of Exar and iML as if the acquisition was completed as of April 1, 2013 (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
			December 28,			December 29,		December 28,			December 29,
			2014			2013		2014			2013
	Net sales		$	44,315		$	45,243	$	128,923		$	143,544
	Net income (loss)		$	(6,834	)	$	306	$	(34,260	)	$	5,646
	Earnings (loss) per share
	Basic		$	(0.15	)	$	0.01	$	(0.73	)	$	0.12
	Diluted		$	(0.15	)	$	0.01	$	(0.73	)	$	0.12
	Three Months Ended December 28, 2014 Compared with Three Months Ended December 29, 2013
	The pro forma financial information includes (1) amortization charges from acquired intangible assets of $0 and $2.4 million, respectively; (2) the estimated stock-based compensation expense related to the stock options assumed of $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively; (3) the elimination of historical intangible assets of $0 and $0.1 million, respectively; (4) the elimination of historical stock-based compensation charges recorded by iML of $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, as a result of the cancellation of all outstanding options on the acquisition date; (5) the elimination of acquisition related costs of $0.1 million and $0, respectively; and (6) the related tax provision of $0 for both periods.
	Nine Months Ended December 28, 2014 Compared with Nine Months Ended December 29, 2013
	The pro forma financial information includes (1) amortization charges from acquired intangible assets of $2.4 million and $7.3 million, respectively; (2) the estimated stock-based compensation expense related to the stock options assumed of $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively; (3) the elimination of historical intangible assets of $0.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively; (4) the elimination of historical stock-based compensation charges recorded by iML of $0.6 million and $0.3 million, respectively, as a result of the cancellation of all outstanding options on the acquisition date; (5) the elimination of acquisition related costs of $11.3 million and $0, respectively; and (6) the related tax provision of $0.6 million and tax benefit of $0.6 million, respectively.
	The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information is not intended to represent or be indicative of the condensed results of operations of Exar that would have been reported had the acquisition been completed as of the beginning of the periods presented, and should not be taken as representative of the future consolidated results of operations of Exar.
	Acquisition of Stretch
	On January 14, 2014, we completed the acquisition of Stretch, Inc. (“Stretch”), a provider of software configurable processors supporting the video surveillance market previously located in Sunnyvale, California. The transaction provides Exar with the technology to deliver an end-to-end high-definition solution for both digital and analog transmission of data from the camera to the DVR or NVR in surveillance applications. Stretch’s results of operations and estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed were included in our condensed consolidated financial statements beginning January 14, 2014.
	In accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, the total consideration paid for Stretch was first allocated to the net tangible liabilities assumed based on the estimated fair values of the assets and liabilities at the acquisition date. The excess of the fair value of the consideration paid over the fair value of Stretch’s net tangible liabilities assumed and identifiable intangible assets acquired resulted in the recognition of goodwill of $0.7 million primarily related to expected synergies to be achieved in connection with the acquisition. The goodwill is deductible over 15 years for tax purposes.
	The table below shows the allocation of the purchase price to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed (in thousands):
		Amount
Tangible assets		$	2,937
Intangible assets			7,010
Goodwill			667
Liabilities assumed			(10,604	)
Fair value of total consideration transferred		$	10
Acquisition of Cadeka
On July 5, 2013, we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Cadeka Technologies (Cayman) Holding Ltd., a privately held company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands and all the outstanding stock of the subsidiaries of Cadeka, including the equity of its wholly owned subsidiary Cadeka Microcircuits, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company (“Cadeka”). With locations in Loveland, Colorado, Shenzhen and Wuxi, China, Cadeka designs, develops and markets high precision analog integrated circuits for use in industrial and high reliability applications. Cadeka’s results of operations and estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed were included in our condensed consolidated financial statements beginning July 5, 2013. The pro forma effects of the portion of the Cadeka operations assumed through the transaction on our results of operations during fiscal 2014 were considered immaterial.
In accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, the total consideration paid for Cadeka was first allocated to the net tangible liabilities assumed based on the estimated fair values of the assets and liabilities at the acquisition date. The excess of the fair value of the consideration paid over the fair value of Cadeka’s net tangible liabilities assumed and identifiable intangible assets acquired resulted in the recognition of goodwill of $19.4 million primarily related to expected synergies from combining the operations of Cadeka with that of Exar and the release of deferred tax liabilities. The goodwill is not expected to be tax deductible.
The table below shows the allocation of the purchase price to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed (in thousands):
		Amount
Tangible assets		$	3,286
Intangible assets			20,380
Goodwill			19,387
Liabilities assumed			(8,216	)
Fair value of total consideration transferred		$	34,837

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Supplemental Balance Sheet Disclosures [Text Block]	NOTE 4.	BALANCE SHEET DETAILS
	Our inventories consisted of the following as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Work-in-process and raw materials		$	21,177		$	13,555
	Finished goods			11,889			15,427
	Total inventories		$	33,066		$	28,982
	Our property, plant and equipment consisted of the following as of the dates indicated below (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Land		$	6,660		$	6,660
	Building			17,462			16,787
	Machinery and equipment			41,356			40,675
	Software and licenses			22,323			17,549
	Property, plant and equipment, total			87,801			81,671
	Accumulated depreciation and amortization			(67,128	)		(60,391	)
	Total property, plant and equipment, net		$	20,673		$	21,280
	Our other current liabilities consisted of the following as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Short-term lease financing obligations		$	2,837		$	2,671
	Accrued retention bonus			2,725			—
	Accrued income tax			1,556			74
	Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs			1,390			2,214
	Accrued manufacturing expenses, royalties and licenses			1,284			1,639
	Purchase consideration holdback			1,006			1,256
	Accrued legal and professional services			849			1,453
	Other			2,740			2,063
	Total other current liabilities		$	14,387		$	11,370
	Our other non-current obligations consisted of the following (in thousands) as of the dates indicated:
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Long-term taxes payable		$	4,313		$	794
	Deferred tax liability			1,059			614
	Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs			15			155
	Fair value of earn out liability – long-term			—			3,853
	Accrued retention bonus			—			1,181
	Other			18			29
	Total other non-current obligations		$	5,405		$	6,626

Note_5_Fair_Value

Note 5 - Fair Value	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block]	NOTE 5.	FAIR VALUE
	Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. GAAP describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value as follows:
	Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
	Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
	Our cash and investment instruments are classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency.
	The fair value of contingent consideration arising from the acquisitions of Altior Inc. (“Altior”) and Cadeka are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy since it is based on a probability-based approach that includes significant unobservable inputs. Due to significant decrease in revenue projections, the fair value of the contingent consideration from the acquisitions of Altior and Cadeka was fully released as of September 28, 2014.
	We received approximately 93,000 common shares of CounterPath Corporation (“CounterPath”) through the dissolution of Skypoint Telecom Fund II (US), LP. (“Skypoint Fund”) in which we were a limited partner since 2001. CounterPath was one of the investee companies of Skypoint. We estimated the fair value using the market value of common shares as determined by trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market. These securities have been classified to Level 2 as of December 28, 2014 and recorded in the other non-current assets line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. We believe the fair value inputs of CounterPath do not meet all of the criteria for Level 1 classification primarily due to the low trading volume of the stock. See Note 7–“Long-term Investments” for the discussion on Skypoint.
	There were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 during the fiscal quarter ended December 28, 2014.
	As of June 29, 2014, we sold all of our short term investments to fund the iML acquisition. The following table summarizes our other investments assets and liabilities as December 28, 2014 (in thousands):
			28-Dec-14
			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Total
	Assets:
	Money market funds		$	6		$	—		$	—		$	6
	Common shares of CounterPath			—			56			—			56
	Total investment assets		$	6		$	56		$	—		$	62
	The fair value of contingent consideration was determined based on a probability-based approach which includes projected revenues, percentage probability of occurrence and discount rate to present value payments. A significant increase (decrease) in the projected revenue, discount rate or probability of occurrence in isolation could result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value measurement. We calculate the fair value of the contingent consideration on a quarterly basis based on a collaborative effort of our operations and financial accounting groups based on additional information as it becomes available. Any change in the fair value adjustment is recorded in the earnings of that period.
	During the second quarter of fiscal 2015, we measured the fair value of the contingent consideration liabilities for Altior and Cadeka acquisition based on a combination of income and market approach. Due to the significant decrease in revenue projection with the period in which such contingent consideration could be earned, we determined that the probability of revenue target achievement was highly unlikely. As a result, the fair value of the contingent consideration liabilities was reduced to zero as of September 28, 2014.
	The change in the fair value of our Altior purchase consideration liability is as follows (in thousands):
			Amount
	As of March 30, 2014		$	2,973
	Fair value adjustment			(2,973	)
	As of December 28, 2014		$	—
	The change in the fair value of our Cadeka purchase consideration liability is as follows (in thousands):
			Amount
	As of March 30, 2014		$	1,370
	Fair value adjustment			(1,370	)
	As of December 28, 2014		$	—
	As of March 30, 2014, our investment assets and liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis, were as follows (in thousands):
			30-Mar-14
			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Total
	Assets:
	Money market funds		$	4,636		$	—		$	—		$	4,636
	U.S. government and agency securities			9,378			13,134			—			22,512
	State and local government securities			—			2,772			—			2,772
	Corporate bonds and securities			5			71,248			—			71,253
	Asset-backed securities			—			27,635			—			27,635
	Mortgage-backed securities			—			28,248			—			28,248
	Total investment assets		$	14,019		$	143,037		$	—		$	157,056
	Liabilities:
	Acquisition-related contingent consideration – Altior		$	—		$	—		$	2,973		$	2,973
	Acquisition-related contingent consideration – Cadeka			—			—			1,370			1,370
	Total liabilities		$	—		$	—		$	4,343		$	4,343
	Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities as of the dates indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Cash and cash equivalents
	Cash at financial institutions		$	52,616		$	9,978
	Cash equivalents
	Money market funds			6			4,636
	Total cash and cash equivalents		$	52,622		$	14,614
	Available-for-sale securities
	U.S. government and agency securities		$	—		$	22,512
	State and local government securities			—			2,772
	Corporate bonds and securities			—			71,253
	Asset-backed securities			—			27,635
	Mortgage-backed securities			—			28,248
	Total short-term marketable securities		$	—		$	152,420
	Our marketable securities include U.S. government and agency securities, state and local government securities, corporate bonds and securities, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities and certificates of deposit. We classify investments as available-for-sale at the time of purchase and re-evaluate such designation as of each balance sheet date. We amortize premiums and accrete discounts to interest income over the life of the investment. Our available-for-sale securities, which we intend to sell as necessary to meet our liquidity requirements, are classified as cash equivalents if the maturity date is 90 days or less from the date of purchase and as short-term marketable securities if the maturity date is greater than 90 days from the date of purchase.
	All marketable securities are reported at fair value based on the estimated or quoted market prices as of each balance sheet date, with unrealized gains or losses, net of tax effect, recorded in the condensed consolidated statements of other comprehensive income except those unrealized losses that are deemed to be other than temporary which are reflected in the impairment charges on investments line item on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
	Realized gains (losses) on the sale of marketable securities are determined by the specific identification method and are reflected in the interest income and other net, line item on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
	Our net realized gains (losses) on marketable securities for the periods indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
			December 28,			December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
2014			2013			2014			2013
Gross realized gains		$	—		$	136		$	264		$	518
Gross realized losses			—			(69	)		(238	)		(477	)
Net realized income (losses)		$	—		$	67		$	26		$	41
We did not have any unrealized gain (loss) as of December 28, 2014.
The following table summarizes our investments in marketable securities as of March 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		30-Mar-14
		Amortized			Unrealized			Unrealized			Fair Value
		Cost			Gross			Gross
					Gains (1)			Losses (1)
Money market funds		$	4,636		$	—		$	—		$	4,636
U.S. government and agency securities			22,550			1			(39	)		22,512
State and local government securities			2,762			10			—			2,772
Corporate bonds and securities			71,309			32			(88	)		71,253
Asset-backed securities			27,661			22			(48	)		27,635
Mortgage-backed securities			28,362			24			(138	)		28,248
Total investments		$	157,280		$	89		$	(313	)	$	157,056
	-1	Gross of tax impact of $828
Our asset-backed securities as of March 31, 2014 were comprised primarily of premium tranches of vehicle loans and credit card receivables, while our mortgage-backed securities are primarily from Federal agencies. We did not own auction rate securities nor did we own securities that were classified as subprime.
Management determines the appropriate classification of cash equivalents or short-term marketable securities at the time of purchase and reevaluates such classification as of each balance sheet date. The investments are adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity and such accretion/amortization, which is immaterial for the period presented, is included in the interest income and other, net line in the condensed statements of operations. Cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities are reported at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses included in the accumulated other comprehensive losses line in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
We periodically review our investments in unrealized loss positions for other-than-temporary impairments. This evaluation includes, but is not limited to, significant quantitative and qualitative assessments and estimates regarding credit ratings, collateralized support, the length of time and significance of a security’s loss position, our intent not to sell the security, and whether it is more likely than not that we will not have to sell the security before recovery of its cost basis. For the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, no investments were identified with other-than-temporary declines in value. All investments were redeemed in the first quarter of fiscal 2015.
The amortized cost and estimated fair value of cash equivalents and marketable securities classified as available-for-sale by expected maturity as of March 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		30-Mar-14
		Amortized			Fair Value
		Cost
Less than 1 year		$	49,539		$	49,504
Due in 1 to 5 years			107,741			107,552
Total		$	157,280		$	157,056
The following table summarizes the gross unrealized losses and fair values of our investments in an unrealized loss position as of March 30, 2014, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position (in thousands):
		30-Mar-14
		Less than 12 months						12 months or greater						Total
		Fair Value			Gross			Fair Value			Gross			Fair Value		Gross
					Unrealized						Unrealized					Unrealized
					Losses						Losses					Losses
U.S. government and agency securities		$	18,245		$	(39	)	$	—		$	—		$	18,245	$	(39	)
Corporate bonds and securities			48,379			(87	)		596			(1	)		48,975		(88	)
Asset-backed securities			7,118			(12	)		5,478			(36	)		12,596		(48	)
Mortgage-backed securities			19,682			(120	)		983			(18	)		20,665		(138	)
Total		$	93,424		$	(258	)	$	7,057		$	(55	)	$	100,481	$	(313	)
The fair value of contingent consideration was determined based on a probability-based approach which includes projected revenues, percentage probability of occurrence and discount rate to present value payments. A significant increase (decrease) in the projected revenue, discount rate or probability of occurrence in isolation could result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value measurement. We calculate the fair value of the contingent consideration on a quarterly basis based on a collaborative effort of our operations and financial accounting groups based on additional information as it becomes available. Any change in the fair value adjustment is recorded in the earnings of that period.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2015, we measured the fair value of the contingent consideration liabilities for Altior and Cadeka acquisition based on a combination of income and market approach. Due to the significant decrease in revenue projection with the period in which such contingent consideration could be earned, we determined that the probability of revenue target achievement was highly unlikely. As a result, the fair value of the contingent consideration liabilities was reduced to zero as of September 28, 2014.

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 6.	GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
	Goodwill
	Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination. We evaluate goodwill for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events and changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. We conduct our annual impairment analysis in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Impairment of goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill, to the fair value of the reporting unit. Estimations and assumptions regarding the number of reporting units, future performances, results of our operations and comparability of our market capitalization and net book value will be used. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill is considered impaired and a second step is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss. Because we have one single operating segment and one chief operating decision maker, our President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), we utilize an entity-wide approach to assess goodwill for impairment. As of December 28, 2014, no events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount for goodwill may not be recoverable and therefore we did not perform an interim goodwill impairment analysis.
	The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the dates indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 30,
			2014		2014
	Beginning balance		$	30,410	$	10,356
	Goodwill additions			14,461		20,054
	Ending balance		$	44,871	$	30,410
	Goodwill additions during the nine months ended December 28, 2014 consisted of $14.5 million residual allocation from the iML acquisition purchase price accounting. The goodwill additions during fiscal 2014 consist of $19.4 million and $0.7 million residual allocation from the Cadeka and Stretch acquisition purchase price accounting, respectively.
	Intangible Assets
	Our purchased intangible assets as of the dates indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			28-Dec-14										30-Mar-14
			Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment charge			Net Carrying Amount		Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Existing technology		$	120,026	$	(44,745	)	$	(9,134	)	$	66,147	$	63,043	$	(37,510	)	$	25,533
	Customer relationships			15,165		(4,067	)		(870	)		10,228		6,095		(2,762	)		3,333
	Distributor relationships			7,254		(1,759	)		—			5,495		1,264		(1,260	)		4
	Patents/Core technology			3,459		(3,429	)		—			30		3,459		(3,378	)		81
	Trade names			1,330		(210	)		—			1,120		210		(51	)		159
	Total intangible assets subject to amortization			147,234		(54,210	)		(10,004	)		83,020		74,071		(44,961	)		29,110
	In-process research and development			9,148		—			(2,280	)		6,868		2,280		—			2,280
	Total		$	156,382	$	(54,210	)	$	(12,284	)	$	89,888	$	76,351	$	(44,961	)	$	31,390
	Long-lived assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective estimated useful lives. Existing technology is amortized over two to nine years. Customer relationships are amortized over five to seven years on an accelerated basis. Distributor relationships are amortized over six to seven years. Patents/core technology is amortized over five to six years. Trade names are amortized over three to six years. In-process Research & Development ("IPR&D") is reclassified as existing technology upon completion or written off upon abandonment. During the three months ended December 28, 2014, $1.2 million of IPR&D was reclassified as existing technology upon completion and started amortization. We expect the amortization of the remaining IPR&D projects to start in fiscal 2016. We evaluate the remaining useful life of our long-lived assets that are being amortized each reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. If the estimate of an intangible asset’s remaining useful life is changed, the remaining carrying amount of the long-lived asset is amortized prospectively over the remaining useful life.
	Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets (or asset group) may not be fully recoverable. Whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of long-lived assets may not be recoverable, we estimate the future cash flows expected to be generated by the assets (or asset group) from its use or eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of those assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. Significant management judgment is required in the grouping of long-lived assets and forecasts of future operating results that are used in the discounted cash flow method of valuation. If our actual results, or the plans and estimates used in future impairment analyses are lower than the original estimates used to assess the recoverability of these assets, we could incur additional impairment charges.
	Exar completed a significant strategic restructuring process that began in the second quarter of fiscal 2015 and ended in October 2014.  This restructuring was prompted by the recent acquisition of iML, and an associated significant reduction in force, including reductions at our Hangzhou, China; Loveland, Colorado; and Ipoh, Malaysia locations.  We believe this restructuring allows us to achieve meaningful synergies and operating efficiencies and focus our resources on strategic priorities that we expect will yield the highest incremental return for Exar’s stockholders.  For additional details, see “Note 11 – Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs.”   As a result of this restructuring and the resultant re-prioritization of resources, we anticipate a decline in forecasted revenue related to certain intangible assets that were acquired in prior business combinations.  Consequently, we performed an intangible assets impairment review during the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 and recorded $12.3 million of impairment charges to acquired intangibles. As of December 28, 2014, there were no indicators or events that required us to perform an intangible assets impairment review.
	The aggregate amortization expenses for our purchased intangible assets for the periods indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
			2014		2013			2014			2013
	Amortization expense		$	3,248	$	1,991		$	9,249		$	5,665
	The total future amortization expenses for our purchased intangible assets excluding IPR&D are summarized below (in thousands):
	Amortization Expense (by fiscal year)
	2015 (3 months remaining)		$	3,206
	2016			12,787
	2017			12,819
	2018			12,882
	2019			12,652
	2020 and thereafter			28,674
	Total future amortization		$	83,020

Note_7_Longterm_Investment

Note 7 - Long-term Investment	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Investments Schedule [Abstract]
Investment [Text Block]	NOTE 7.	LONG-TERM INVESTMENT
	In July 2001, Exar became a Limited Partner in the Skypoint Telecom Fund II (US), LP. (“Skypoint Fund”), a venture capital fund focused on investments in communications infrastructure companies. We accounted for this non-marketable equity investment under the cost method in the other non-current assets in the consolidated balance sheet. The partnership was dissolved and the fund distributed stock of investee companies to Exar during first quarter of fiscal 2015.
	We regularly review and determine whether the investment is other-than-temporarily impaired, in which case the investment is written down to its impaired value.
	As of the dates indicated below, our long-term investment balance, which is included in the “Other non-current assets” line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, consisted of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Beginning balance		$	946		$	1,288
	Net distributions			(8	)		(19	)
	Impairment charges			(35	)		(323	)
	Ending balance		$	903		$	946
	The carrying amount of approximately $0.9 million as of December 28, 2014 reflects the net of the capital contributions, capital distributions and $0.4 million cumulative impairment charges. During the term of the fund we have made $4.8 million in capital contributions to Skypoint Fund since we became a limited partner in July 2001. As of December 28, 2014, we do not have any further capital commitments.
	Impairment
	We evaluate our long-term investment for impairment whenever events and changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. We conduct our impairment analysis by comparing the carrying amount to the fair value of the underlying investments. If the carrying amount exceeds its fair value, long term-investment is considered impaired and a second step is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss. We analyzed the fair value of the remaining underlying investments of Skypoint Fund and as a result, $35,000 and $323,000 impairment charge was recorded during the nine months ended December 28, 2014 and in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014, respectively.

Note_8_Related_Party_Transacti

Note 8 - Related Party Transactions	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 8.	RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
	Alonim Investments Inc. (“Alonim”) owns approximately 7.6 million shares, or approximately 16%, of our outstanding common stock as of December 28, 2014. As such, Alonim is our largest stockholder.
	Related party contributions as a percentage of our total net sales for the periods indicated below were as follows:
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Alonim			19%		29%		22%		27%
	Related party receivables as a percentage of our net accounts receivables were as follows as of the dates indicated below:
			December 28,		March 30,
			2014		2014
	Alonim			3%		18%
	Related party expenses for marketing promotional materials reimbursed were not significant for the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively.

Note_9_Shortterm_Debt

Note 9 - Short-term Debt	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 9.	SHORT-TERM DEBT
	As part of the acquisition of iML, we entered into short-term financing agreements with Stifel Financial Corporation (“Stifel”) and CTBC to provide bridge financing for the acquisition.
	CTBC
	On June 9, 2014 we entered into a Business Loan Agreement with CTBC to provide a loan for $26.0 million. This loan bore an interest rate of 3.25% and had maturity date of December 9, 2014. Interest payments were due monthly with the entire principal due not later than December 9, 2014.
	All obligations of Exar under the Business Loan Agreement were unconditionally guaranteed by iML through a $26.0 million short-term certificate deposit with the same institution which had been recorded as restricted cash as of September 28, 2014. As of October 2014, the CTBC business loan has been completely paid off.
	Stifel
	On May 27, 2014 (the “Initial Funding Date”), Exar entered into a bridge credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with certain lender parties and Stifel Financial Corp., as Administrative Agent. The Credit Agreement provided Exar with a bridge term loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $90.0 million (the “Bridge Facility”).
	Interest on loans made under the Bridge Facility accrued, at Exar’s option, at a rate per annum equal to (1) the Base Rate (as defined below) plus (a) during the first 90 days following the Initial Funding Date, 7.5% and (b) thereafter, 8.5% or (2) 1-month LIBOR plus (a) during the first 90 days following the Initial Funding Date, 8.5% and (b) thereafter, 9.5%. The “Base Rate” was equal to, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the prime rate in effect on such day, (b) the federal funds effective rate in effect on such day plus 0.50%, and (c) 1 month LIBOR plus 1.00%. The Base Rate was subject to a floor of 2.5%, and LIBOR was subject to a floor of 1.5%.
	Exar had drawn $65.0 million in May 2014 to fund the acquisition of iML’s outstanding shares. We repaid $26.0 million of the debt in June 2014 through a loan from CTBC with lower interest rate. As of July 2014, we completely paid off the Stifel loan.
	Interest
	For three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, interest on our short-term debt, which is included in the “Interest expense” line item on the condensed consolidated statement of operations, consisted of the following (in thousands):
			28-Dec-14
			Three months		Nine months
			ended		ended
	CTBC		$	9	$	265
	Stifel			—		646
	Total interest on short-term debt		$	9	$	911

Note_10_Common_Stock_Repurchas

Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 10.	COMMON STOCK REPURCHASES
	From time to time, we acquire outstanding common stock in the open market to partially offset dilution from our equity award programs, to increase our return on our invested capital and to bring our cash to a more appropriate level for Exar.
	On August 28, 2007, we announced the approval of a share repurchase plan and authorized the repurchase of up to $100.0 million of our common stock.
	On July 9, 2013, we announced the approval of a share repurchase program under which we were authorized to repurchase an additional $50.0 million of our common stock. The repurchase program does not have a termination date, and may be modified, extended or terminated at any time. We intend to retire all shares repurchased under the stock repurchase plan. The purchase price for the repurchased shares of Exar is reflected as a reduction of common stock and additional paid-in capital. We may continue to repurchase our common stock under the repurchase plan, which would reduce our cash, cash equivalents and/or short-term marketable securities available to fund future operations and to meet other liquidity requirements.
	Stock repurchase activities during nine months ended December 28, 2014 and fiscal year 2014 were indicated below (in thousands, except per share amounts):
			Total number of		Average Price Paid		Amount Paid for
			Shares Purchased		Per Share		Purchase
					(or Unit)
	As of March 31, 2013			9,564	$	9.22	$	88,189
	Repurchases – August 25 to September 29, 2013			153		13.07		1,999
	Repurchases – September 30 to October 27, 2013			73		13.63		1,001
	Repurchases – November 24 to December 29, 2013			83		12.09		1,000
	Repurchases – December 30, 2013 to January 26, 2014			122		11.61		1,417
	Repurchases – January 27 to February 23, 2014			324		11.05		3,583
	As of March 30, 2014			10,319	$	9.22	$	97,189
	Repurchases – March 31 to April 27, 2014			273		10.98		3,000
	Repurchases – July 28 to September 28, 2014			393		9.83		3,864
	Repurchases – September 29 to December 28, 2014			125		9.08		1,135
	As of December 28, 2014			11,110	$	9.47	$	105,188
	Note: The average price paid per share is based on the total price paid by Exar, which includes applicable broker fees.

Note_11_Restructuring_Charges_

Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 11.	RESTRUCTURING CHARGES AND EXIT COSTS
	2015 Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs
	Exar completed a significant strategic restructuring process that began in the quarter ended September 28, 2014 and ended in October 2014.  This restructuring was prompted by the recent acquisition of iML, and an associated significant reduction in force, including reductions at our Hangzhou, China; Loveland, Colorado; and Ipoh, Malaysia locations.  We believe this restructuring allows us to achieve meaningful synergies and operating efficiencies and focus our resources on strategic priorities that we expect will yield the highest incremental return for Exar’s stockholders.  During the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, we incurred $3.5 million and $10.4 million restructuring charges and exit costs, respectively. The charges consisted primarily of reduction of our workforce, the impairment of certain fixed assets, licensed technologies and write-off of related inventory.
	2014 Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs
	During the three and nine months ended December 29, 2013, we incurred restructuring charges and exit costs of $0.1 million and $1.5 million, respectively. The charges include $1.3 million of severance benefits, net of adjustments in other costs and $0.2 million of costs related to efforts to sell and market our campus in Fremont, California.
	Our restructuring liabilities were included in the other current liabilities and other non-current obligations lines within our condensed consolidated balance sheets. The following table summarizes the activities affecting the liabilities as of the dates indicated below (in thousands):
			March 30,		Additions/		Non-cash			Payments			December 28,
			2014		adjustments		charges						2014
	Lease termination costs and others		$	1,615	$	294	$	(164	)	$	(1,485	)	$	260
	Impairment of fixed assets, licensed technologies and write down of inventory			—		6,568		(6,568	)		—			—
	Severance			754		3,574		—			(3,183	)		1,145
	Total		$	2,369	$	10,436	$	(6,732	)	$	(4,668	)	$	1,405
			April 1,		Additions/		Non-cash			Payments			March 30,
			2013		adjustments		charges						2014
	Lease termination costs and others		$	2,860	$	570	$	(57	)	$	(1,758	)	$	1,615
	Severance			426		2,444		—			(2,116	)		754
	Total		$	3,286	$	3,014	$	(57	)	$	(3,874	)	$	2,369

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Text Block]	NOTE 12.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
	Employee Stock Participation Plan (“ESPP”)
	Our ESPP permits employees to purchase common stock through payroll deductions at a purchase price that is equal to 95% of our common stock price on the last trading day of each three-calendar-month offering period. Our ESPP is non-compensatory.
	The following table summarizes our ESPP transactions during the fiscal periods presented (in thousands, except per share amounts):
			As of			Nine Months Ended
			28-Dec-14			28-Dec-14
			Shares of Common			Shares of Common		Weighted
			Stock			Stock		Average
								Price per Share
	Authorized to issue			4,500
	Reserved for future issuance			1,352
	Issued						21	$	10.11
	Equity Incentive Plans
	At the annual meeting of stockholders on September 18, 2014 (the “Annual Meeting”), our stockholders approved the Exar Corporation 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (“2014 Plan”). The 2014 Plan authorizes the issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, stock bonuses and other forms of awards granted or denominated in common stock or units of common stock, as well as cash bonus awards.
	Prior to the Annual Meeting, we maintained the Exar Corporation 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2006 Plan”) and the Sipex Corporation 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Sipex 2006 Plan”). As of June 30, 2014, a total of 6,555,492 shares of our common stock were then subject to outstanding awards granted under the 2006 Plan and the Sipex 2006 Plan, and an additional 669,008 shares of our common stock were then available for new award grants under the 2006 Plan. As part of the stockholder approval of the 2014 Plan at the Annual Meeting, we agreed that no new awards will be granted under the 2006 Plan and the Sipex 2006 Plan, although awards made under these plans will remain subject to the terms of each such plan.
	The maximum number of shares of our common stock that may be issued or transferred pursuant to awards under the 2014 Plan equals the sum of: (1) 5,170,000 shares, plus (2) the number of any shares subject to stock options granted under the 2006 Plan and the Sipex 2006 Plan and outstanding as of the date of the Annual Meeting which expire, or for any reason are cancelled or terminated, after the date of the Annual Meeting without being exercised, plus (3) the number of any shares subject to restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards granted under the 2006 Plan and the Sipex 2006 Plan that are outstanding and unvested as of the date of the Annual Meeting which are forfeited, terminated, cancelled, or otherwise reacquired after the date of the Annual Meeting without having become vested. Awards other than a stock option or stock appreciation right granted under the 2014 Plan are counted against authorized shares available for future issuance on a basis of two shares for every award issued. As of December 28, 2014, there were 4.8 million shares available for future grant under the 2014 Plan.
	Stock Option Activities
	Our stock option transactions during the nine months ended December 28, 2014 were indicated below:
			Outstanding			Weighted		Weighted		Aggregate		In-the-money
						Average		Average		Intrinsic		Options
						Exercise		Remaining		Value		Vested and
						Price per		Contractual		(in thousands)		Exercisable
						Share		Term				(in thousands)
								(in years)
	Balance at March 30, 2014			7,213,848		$	8.98		5.02	$	21,301		2,170
	Granted			2,517,178			8.64
	Exercised			(523,193	)		6.85
	Cancelled			(183,895	)		12.76
	Forfeited			(981,008	)		10.49
	Balance at December 28, 2014			8,042,840		$	8.74		4.97	$	15,344		2,959
	Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014			7,487,866		$	8.66		4.88	$	14,864
	Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014			3,361,788		$	7.64		3.81	$	9,629
	The aggregate intrinsic values in the table above represent the total pre-tax intrinsic value, which is based on the closing price of our common stock of $10.29 and $11.71 as of December 28, 2014 and March 30, 2014, respectively. These are the values which would have been received by option holders if all option holders exercised their options on that date.
	In January 2012, we granted 480,000 performance-based stock options to our CEO. The options are scheduled to vest in four equal annual installments at the end of fiscal years 2013 through 2016 if certain predetermined market based financial measures are met. If the financial measures are not met, each installment will be rolled over to the subsequent fiscal year. In January 2014, we granted 140,000 performance-based stock options to our CEO. The options are scheduled to vest at the end of fiscal year 2017 if certain predetermined financial measures are met. We recorded $75,000 and $262,000 of compensation expense for these options in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively. We recorded $65,000 and $195,000 of compensation expense for these options in the three and nine months ended December 29, 2013, respectively.
	Options exercised for the periods indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
			December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014			2013		2014		2013
	Intrinsic value of options exercised		$	668		$	805	$	1,524	$	2,699
	RSU Activities
	Our RSU transactions during the nine months ended December 28, 2014 are summarized as follows:
			Shares			Weighted		Weighted		Aggregate
						Average		Average		Intrinsic
						Grant-		Remaining		Value
						Date		Contractual		(in thousands)
						Fair Value		Term
								(in years)
	Unvested at March 30, 2014			1,177,126		$	10.94		1.62	$	13,784
	Granted			337,022			9.27
	Issued and released			(230,553	)		10.65
	Cancelled			(178,663	)		12.05
	Unvested at December 28, 2014			1,104,932		$	10.31		1.4	$	11,370
	Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014			962,572					1.32	$	9,905
	The aggregate intrinsic value of RSUs represents the closing price per share of our stock at the end of the periods presented, multiplied by the number of unvested RSUs or the number of vested and expected to vest RSUs, as applicable, at the end of each period.
	For RSUs, stock-based compensation expense was calculated based on our stock price on the date of grant, multiplied by the number of RSUs granted. The grant date fair value of RSUs less estimated forfeitures was recognized on a straight-line basis, over the vesting period.
	In March 2012, we granted 300,000 performance-based RSUs (“PRSUs”) to our CEO. The PRSUs were scheduled to vest in three equal installments at the end of fiscal 2013 through 2015 with three year vesting periods if certain predetermined financial measures are met. If the financial measures are not met, each installment will be forfeited at the end of its respective fiscal year. We recorded $146,000 and $1,026,000 of compensation expense for these awards in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively. We recorded $119,000 and $641,000 of compensation expense for these awards in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2013, respectively.
	In December 2013, we granted 100,000 RSUs to our CEO. The RSUs were scheduled to vest in two equal installments at the end of fiscal 2016 and 2017. In October 2014, the second installment of 50,000 RSUs was modified to 50,000 PRSUs. These modified PRSUs were scheduled to vest at the end of fiscal 2017 if certain predetermined financial measures are met. For the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, we did not record compensation expense for these modified PRSUs as a result of low probability of achieving performance goals measured by management.
	In the first quarter of fiscal 2014, we granted 50,000 PRSUs to certain executives. The PRSUs were scheduled to vest in three equal installments at the end of fiscal year 2014 with a three-year vesting period if certain performance measures are met. We recorded stock compensation net recovery of $53,000 and $151,000 in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively as a result of the termination of one executive. We recorded $91,000 and $239,000 of stock compensation expense for these awards in the three and nine months ended December 29, 2013, respectively.
	In July 2013, as part of the acquisition of Cadeka, we agreed to pay retention bonuses to certain former Cadeka employees and the bonuses will be settled in RSUs subject to fulfillment of the service period. We recorded $506,000 and $1,519,000 of compensation expense for these awards in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively. The expense is reported in the other current obligations line in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as the total amount of bonus is to be settled in variable number of RSUs at the completion of the requisite service period. Such non-cash compensation expense is recorded as part of stock compensation expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
	In August 2013, we announced the Fiscal Year 2014 Management Incentive Program (“2014 Incentive Program”). Under this program, each participant’s award is denominated in stock and subject to achievement of certain financial performance goals and the participant’s annual Management by Objective goals. The expense is reported in the other current liabilities line in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as the total amount of bonus is to be settled in variable number of RSUs at the completion of the requisite service period. Such non-cash compensation expense is recorded as part of stock compensation expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Due to only partially achieving the financial performance goals and the participant’s annual Management by Objectives goals, we reversed the previously recorded stock compensation of $295,000 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 which resulted in a net stock compensation recovery of $290,000 for the nine months ended December 28, 2014.
	In October 2013, we granted 70,000 PRSUs to certain executives. The first 50% of the PRSUs are scheduled to start vesting in three equal installments at the end of fiscal year 2015 with a three-year vesting period if certain performance measures are met. The second 50% of the PRSUs are scheduled to start vesting in three equal installments at the end of fiscal year 2016 with a three-year vesting period if certain performance measures are met. We recorded stock compensation net recovery of $78,000 and $208,000 of compensation expense for these awards in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively, as a result of termination of one of our executives.
	In January 2014, we granted 82,500 PRSUs to certain former Stretch employees. The PRSUs are scheduled to start vesting in three equal installments at the end of fiscal year 2015 with a three-year vesting period if certain performance measures are met. We recorded stock compensation recovery of $47,000 and $122,000 of compensation expense in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively, as a result of lower probability of achieving performance goals measured by management.
	In August 2014, we announced the Fiscal Year 2015 Management Incentive Program (“2015 Incentive Program”). Under this program, each participant’s award is denominated in shares of our common stock and is subject to attainment of Exar’s performance goals as established by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2015. We recorded a stock compensation expense of $679,000 and $1,256,000 in the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014, respectively.
	In January 2015, two of our executives were terminated. As part of their termination agreements, we extended the vesting periods of their outstanding stock awards and exercise periods of their vested stock awards for an additional thirteen and twenty-five months periods, respectively. We also granted total of 60,000 shares RSUs with a vesting period of twelve months. In addition, we granted RSUs valued at $479,000 to one of the executives which will be fully vested in February 2015. We recorded stock compensation expense of $1,519,000 for these awards in the three and six months ended December 28, 2014.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
The following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense related to stock options and RSUs during the fiscal periods presented (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
Cost of sales		$	496		$	165	$	983	$	519
Research and development			442			566		2,124		1,395
Selling, general and administrative			3,284			1,826		7,842		5,353
Total Stock-based compensation expense		$	4,222		$	2,557	$	10,949	$	7,267
The amount of stock-based compensation cost capitalized in inventory was immaterial for all periods presented.
Unrecognized Stock-Based Compensation Expense
The following table summarizes unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options and RSUs for the period indicated below as follows:
		28-Dec-14
		Amount			Weighted Average
		(in thousands)			Expected Remaining
					Period (in years)
Options		$	10,338			2.45
Performance Options			456			1.69
RSUs			7,051			1.89
PRSUs			1,329			1.98
Total Unrecognized Stock-based compensation expense		$	19,174
Valuation Assumptions
We estimate the fair value of stock options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based compensation represent our estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment, which includes the expected term of the stock-based awards, stock price volatility and forfeiture rates. As a result, if factors change and we use different assumptions, our stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future.
We used the following weighted average assumptions to calculate the fair values of options granted during the fiscal periods presented:
		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
Expected term of options (years)			4.67			4.5		4.53 – 4.70		4.40– 4.50
Risk-free interest rate			1.28%			1.01%		1.25% – 1.34%		0.6% – 1.12%
Expected volatility			33%			32%		32% –33%		32% –35%
Expected dividend yield			—			—		—		—
Weighted average estimated fair value		$	2.65		$	3.74	$	2.79	$	3.56

Note_13_Net_Income_Loss_Per_Sh

Note 13 - Net Income (Loss) Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share [Text Block]	NOTE 13.	NET INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE
	Basic net income (loss) per share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to Exar by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the applicable period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that would occur if outstanding stock options to purchase common stock were exercised for common stock, using the treasury stock method, and the common stock underlying outstanding RSUs was issued.
	The following table summarizes our net income (loss) per share for the periods indicated below (in thousands, except per share amounts):
			Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
			December 28,			December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
			2014			2013			2014			2013
	Net income (loss) attributable to Exar Corporation		$	(6,599	)	$	(1,634	)	$	(42,056	)	$	5,654
	Shares used in computation of net income (loss) per share:
	Basic			47,119			47,529			47,165			47,277
	Effect of options and awards			─			─			─			1,538
	Diluted			47,119			47,529			47,165			48,815
	Net income (loss) per share
	Basic		$	(0.14	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.89	)	$	0.12
	Diluted		$	(0.14	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.89	)	$	0.12
	All outstanding stock options and RSUs are potentially dilutive securities. In the three months and nine months ended December 28, 2014 and the three months ended December 29, 2013, all outstanding stock options and RSUs were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as inclusion of such shares would have an anti-dilutive effect. In the nine months ended December 29, 2013, 1.1 million shares were excluded from the computation of diluted net income per share because they were determined to be anti-dilutive.

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Debt and Capital Leases Disclosures [Text Block]	NOTE 14.	LEASE FINANCING OBLIGATIONS
	We have acquired engineering design tools (“Design Tools”) under capital leases. We acquired Design Tools of $4.4 million in October 2014 under a three-year license with a prepayment of $1.5 million for the first year license, $0.9 million in July 2012 under a three-year license, $4.5 million in December 2011 under a three-year license and $5.8 million in October 2011 under a three-year license all of which were accounted for as capital leases and recorded in the property, plant and equipment, net line item in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The obligations related to the Design Tools were included in other current liabilities and long-term lease financing obligations in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 28, 2014 and March 30, 2014, respectively. The effective interest rates for the Design Tools range from 2.0% to 7.25%.
	Amortization expense related to the Design Tools, which was recorded using the straight-line method over the remaining useful life for the periods indicated below, was as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Amortization expense		$	848	$	800	$	2,448	$	2,494
	Future minimum lease and sublease income payments for the lease financing obligations as of December 28, 2014 are as follows (in thousands):
	Fiscal Years		Design Tools
	2015 (3 months remaining)		$	1,323
	2016			1,583
	2017			1,534
	2018			6
	Total minimum lease payments			4,446
	Less: amount representing interest			130
	Present value of minimum lease payments			4,316
	Less: short-term lease financing obligations			2,837
	Long-term lease financing obligations		$	1,479
	Interest expense for the lease financing obligation for the periods indicated below was as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Interest expense		$	37	$	39	$	115	$	115
	In the course of our business, we enter into arrangements accounted for as operating leases related to rental of office space. Rent expenses for all operating leases for the periods indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Rent expense		$	266	$	229	$	1,162	$	658
	Our future minimum lease payments for the lease operating obligations as of December 28, 2014 are as follows (in thousands):
	Fiscal Years		Facilities
	2015 (3 months remaining)		$	252
	2016			775
	2017			214
	Total minimum lease payments		$	1,241

Note_15_Commitments_and_Contin

Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 15.	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	In 1986, Micro Power Systems Inc. (“MPSI”), a subsidiary that we acquired in June 1994, identified low-level groundwater contamination at its principal manufacturing site. The area and extent of the contamination appear to have been defined. MPSI previously reached an agreement with a prior tenant to share in the cost of ongoing site investigations and the operation of remedial systems to remove subsurface chemicals and well closure activities. In April 2012, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (“RWQCB”) approved our application for low-threat closure and rescinded the previous cleanup order. All monitoring well closure activities on the site and adjacent/neighboring sites have been completed. We have finalized and executed access, environmental indemnity and tolling agreements and deed restriction covenants with the property owner. The required deed restriction has been recorded. In October 2014, we received a No Further Action letter and Case Closure summary from RWQCB. The matter is considered closed at this time.
	Outstanding liabilities for remediation activities were immaterial for all periods presented.
	In early 2012, we received correspondences from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (“DTSC”) regarding its ongoing investigation of hazardous wastes and hazardous waste constituents at a former regulated treatment facility in San Jose, California. In 1985, MPSI made two separate permitted hazmat deliveries to a licensed and regulated site for treatment. DTSC has requested that former/current property owners and companies, currently in excess of 50, that had hazardous waste treated at the site participate in further site assessment and limited remediation activities. We have entered into various agreements with other named generators, former property owners and DTSC limited to the investigation of the sites’ condition and evaluation, and selection of appropriate remedial measures. The designated environmental consulting firm has prepared and submitted to DTSC its preliminary site profile for review. Given that this matter is in the early stages of investigation and discussions are ongoing with respect to various related considerations, we are unable to ascertain our exposure, if any. In the opinion of management, after consulting with legal counsel, and taking into account insurance coverage, any ultimate liability related to current outstanding claims and lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial statements, as a whole.
	In a letter dated March 27, 2012, Exar was notified by the Alameda County Water District (“ACWD”) of the recent detection of volatile organic compounds at a site adjacent to a facility that was previously owned and occupied by Sipex. The letter was also addressed to prior and current property owners and tenants (collectively “Property Owners”). ACWD requested that the Property Owners carry out further site investigation activities to determine if the detected compounds are emanating from the site or simply flowing under it. In June 2012, the Property Owners filed with ACWD a report of its investigation/characterization activities and analytical data obtained. Accumulated data suggests that compounds of concern in groundwater appear to be from an offsite source. ACWD is investigating alternative upgradient sites. Given that this investigation is ongoing and Exar has not received any recent communications from ACWD, we are unable to ascertain our exposure, if any. In the opinion of management, after consulting with legal counsel, and taking into account insurance coverage, any ultimate liability related to current outstanding claims and lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial statements, as a whole.
	We warrant all custom products and application specific products, including cards and boards, against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 months, and occasionally we may provide an extended warranty from the delivery date. We warrant all of our standard products against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 90 days from the date of delivery. Reserve requirements are recorded in the period of sale and are based on an assessment of the products sold with warranty, historical warranty costs incurred and customer/product specific circumstances. Our liability is generally limited, at our option, to replacing, repairing, or issuing a credit (if it has been paid for). Our warranty does not cover damage which results from accident, misuse, abuse, improper line voltage, fire, flood, lightning or other damage resulting from modifications, repairs or alterations performed other than by us, or resulting from failure to comply with our written operating and maintenance instructions.
	Warranty expense has historically been immaterial for our products. A warranty liability of $1.4 million was established during the year ended March 30, 2014 for the return of certain older generation data compression products shipped in prior years. In June, 2014, we assumed $0.4 million warranty liability from our acquisition of iML.
	As of the dates indicated below, our warranty reserve balance, which is included in the “Other current liabilities” line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, consisted of the following (in thousands):
			December 28,			March 30,
			2014			2014
	Beginning balance		$	1,074		$	50
	Provisions for warranties issued			458			1,480
	Settlements/adjustments			(918	)		(456	)
	Ending balance		$	614		$	1,074
	In the ordinary course of business, we may provide for indemnification of varying scope and terms to customers, vendors, lessors, business partners, purchasers of assets or subsidiaries, and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of our breach of agreements or representations and warranties made by us, services to be provided by us, intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties or, matters related to our conduct of the business. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and certain of our executive officers that will require us, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or executive officers. We maintain director and officer liability insurance, which may cover certain liabilities arising from our obligation to indemnify our directors and officers, and former directors and officers of acquired companies, in certain circumstances.
	It is not possible to determine the aggregate maximum potential loss under these indemnification agreements due to the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement and claims. Such indemnification agreements might not be subject to maximum loss clauses. Historically, we have not incurred material costs as a result of obligations under these agreements and we have not accrued any liabilities related to such indemnification obligations in our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Note_16_Legal_Proceedings

Note 16 - Legal Proceedings	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Legal Matters and Contingencies [Text Block]	NOTE 16.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
	From time to time, we are involved in various claims, legal actions and complaints arising in the normal course of business. We are not a named party to any ongoing lawsuit or formal proceeding that, in the opinion of our management, is likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In fiscal year 2014, two former employees of Exar’s French subsidiary asserted claims against that subsidiary for alleged unfair dismissal in the French Labor Courts. We believe that the former employees were terminated in accordance with the requirements of French law and that the former employees’ claims are not supported by evidence. The two matters were heard on October 10, 2014 and October 22, 2014, respectively. We dispute the claims and we intend to vigorously protect our interests. On December 22, 2014, Exar and one former employee entered into a settlement agreement resolving all claims made in the litigation. The industrial court in the other matter rendered a judgment on January 21, 2015 that we intend to appeal. We continue to dispute the claims and intend to continue to vigorously protect our interests. We do not believe an adverse outcome will have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

Note_17_Income_Taxes

Note 17 - Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 17.	INCOME TAXES
	During the three months and nine months ended December 28, 2014, we recorded an income tax expense of approximately $0.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The income tax expense was primarily related to the allocation of tax expense between continuing operations and other comprehensive income when applying the exception to ASC 740 intraperiod allocation rule upon liquidation of our available for sale security portfolio. During the three and nine months ended December 29, 2013, we recorded an income tax benefit of approximately $1.4 million and $8.2 million, respectively. The income tax benefit was primarily due to the lapsing of statute of limitation and the release of valuation allowance from Exar’s acquisition of Cadeka Microcircuits, LLC.
	During the three months ended December 28, 2014, the unrecognized tax benefits increased by $0.3 million to $17.2 million primarily related to the reserve on California net operating losses (“NOL”). If recognized, $14.4 million of these unrecognized tax benefits (net of federal benefit) would be recorded as a reduction of future income tax provision before consideration of changes in valuation allowance.
	Estimated interest and penalties related to the income taxes are classified as a component of the provision for income taxes in the condensed consolidated statement of operations. Accrued interest and penalties consisted of the following as of the dates indicated (in thousands):
			December 28,		March 30,
			2014		2014
	Accrued interest and penalties		$	1,327	$	83
	Our major tax jurisdictions are the United States federal and various states, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Cayman Islands and certain other foreign jurisdictions. The fiscal years 2003 through 2013 remain open and subject to examinations by the appropriate governmental agencies in the United States and over varying periods in certain of our foreign jurisdictions.

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 18.	SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
	We operate in one reportable segment, which is comprised of one operating segment. We design, develop and market high performance analog mixed-signal integrated circuits and advanced sub-system solutions for the Industrial & Embedded Systems, High-End Consumer, and Infrastructure.
	Our net sales by end market were summarized as follows as of the dates indicated below (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Industrial & Embedded Systems		$	20,506	$	18,429	$	59,029	$	52,870
	High-End Consumer			16,202		68		35,825		419
	Infrastructure			7,607		12,193		23,339		44,046
	Total net sales		$	44,315	$	30,690	$	118,193	$	97,335
	Our foreign operations are conducted primarily through our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Our principal markets include North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Net sales by geographic areas represent direct sales principally to original equipment manufacturers (“OEM”), or their designated subcontract manufacturers, and to distributors (affiliated and unaffiliated) who buy our products and resell to their customers.
	Our net sales by geographic area for the periods indicated below were as follows (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	China		$	17,089	$	11,566	$	44,586	$	33,860
	United States			6,070		9,285		17,309		31,325
	Taiwan			5,496		413		12,732		2,206
	Korea			4,666		1,038		11,920		2,564
	Singapore			4,076		3,138		11,271		10,068
	Germany			2,008		2,456		8,020		8,124
	Rest of world			4,910		2,794		12,355		9,188
	Total net sales		$	44,315	$	30,690	$	118,193	$	97,335
	Substantially all of our long-lived assets at each of December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013 were located in the United States.
	The following distributors accounted for 10% or more of our net sales in the periods indicated:
			Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
			December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
			2014		2013		2014		2013
	Distributor A			19%		26%		22%		26%
	Distributor B			*		21%		*		23%
	Distributor C			*		13%		*		11%
	*	Net sales for this distributor or customer for this period were less than 10% of our net sales.
	No other distributor or customer accounted for 10% or more of the net sales for the three and nine months ended December 28, 2014 or December 29, 2013, respectively.
	The following distributors and customer accounted for 10% or more of our net accounts receivable as of the dates indicated:
			December 28,		March 30,
			2014		2014
	Distributor A			*		16%
	Distributor B			12%		17%
	Distributor C			11%		12%
	Distributor D			*		14%
	Distributor F			13%		*
	*     Accounts receivable for this distributor for this period were less than 10% of total account balance.
	No other distributor or customer accounted for 10% or more of the net accounts receivable as of December 28, 2014 or March 30, 2014, respectively.

Note_3_Business_Combinations_T

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Tables) [Line Items]
Schedule Of Consideration Paid [Table Text Block]		Amount
	Cash	$	206,411
	Consideration for the acquisition of non-controlling interests		17,872
	Fair value of assumed iML employee options		3,835
	Total purchase price	$	228,118
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]		Amount
	Identifiable tangible assets (liabilities)
	Cash	$	133,752
	Accounts receivable		10,096
	Inventories		3,950
	Other current assets		962
	Property, plant and equipment		480
	Other assets		308
	Current liabilities		(12,356	)
	Long-term liabilities		(3,595	)
	Total identifiable tangible assets (liabilities), net		133,597
	Identifiable intangible assets		80,060
	Total identifiable assets, net		213,657
	Goodwill		14,461
	Fair value of total consideration transferred	$	228,118
Schedule of Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Table Text Block]		Fair Value
	Developed technologies	$	55,780
	In-process research and development		8,100
	Customer relationships		15,060
	Trade names		1,120
	Total identifiable intangible assets	$	80,060
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,			December 29,
		2014			2013		2014			2013
	Net sales	$	44,315		$	45,243	$	128,923		$	143,544
	Net income (loss)	$	(6,834	)	$	306	$	(34,260	)	$	5,646
	Earnings (loss) per share
	Basic	$	(0.15	)	$	0.01	$	(0.73	)	$	0.12
	Diluted	$	(0.15	)	$	0.01	$	(0.73	)	$	0.12
Stretch, Inc. [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Tables) [Line Items]
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]		Amount
	Tangible assets	$	2,937
	Intangible assets		7,010
	Goodwill		667
	Liabilities assumed		(10,604	)
	Fair value of total consideration transferred	$	10
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Tables) [Line Items]
Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]		Amount
	Tangible assets	$	3,286
	Intangible assets		20,380
	Goodwill		19,387
	Liabilities assumed		(8,216	)
	Fair value of total consideration transferred	$	34,837

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details_T

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventory, Current [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Work-in-process and raw materials	$	21,177		$	13,555
	Finished goods		11,889			15,427
	Total inventories	$	33,066		$	28,982
Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Land	$	6,660		$	6,660
	Building		17,462			16,787
	Machinery and equipment		41,356			40,675
	Software and licenses		22,323			17,549
	Property, plant and equipment, total		87,801			81,671
	Accumulated depreciation and amortization		(67,128	)		(60,391	)
	Total property, plant and equipment, net	$	20,673		$	21,280
Other Current Liabilities [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Short-term lease financing obligations	$	2,837		$	2,671
	Accrued retention bonus		2,725			—
	Accrued income tax		1,556			74
	Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs		1,390			2,214
	Accrued manufacturing expenses, royalties and licenses		1,284			1,639
	Purchase consideration holdback		1,006			1,256
	Accrued legal and professional services		849			1,453
	Other		2,740			2,063
	Total other current liabilities	$	14,387		$	11,370
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Long-term taxes payable	$	4,313		$	794
	Deferred tax liability		1,059			614
	Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs		15			155
	Fair value of earn out liability – long-term		—			3,853
	Accrued retention bonus		—			1,181
	Other		18			29
	Total other non-current obligations	$	5,405		$	6,626

Note_5_Fair_Value_Tables

Note 5 - Fair Value (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis [Table Text Block]		28-Dec-14
		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Total
	Assets:
	Money market funds	$	6		$	—		$	—		$	6
	Common shares of CounterPath		—			56			—			56
	Total investment assets	$	6		$	56		$	—		$	62
		30-Mar-14
		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3			Total
	Assets:
	Money market funds	$	4,636		$	—		$	—		$	4,636
	U.S. government and agency securities		9,378			13,134			—			22,512
	State and local government securities		—			2,772			—			2,772
	Corporate bonds and securities		5			71,248			—			71,253
	Asset-backed securities		—			27,635			—			27,635
	Mortgage-backed securities		—			28,248			—			28,248
	Total investment assets	$	14,019		$	143,037		$	—		$	157,056
	Liabilities:
	Acquisition-related contingent consideration – Altior	$	—		$	—		$	2,973		$	2,973
	Acquisition-related contingent consideration – Cadeka		—			—			1,370			1,370
	Total liabilities	$	—		$	—		$	4,343		$	4,343
Schedule of Business Acquisitions by Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Table Text Block]		Amount
	As of March 30, 2014	$	2,973
	Fair value adjustment		(2,973	)
	As of December 28, 2014	$	—
		Amount
	As of March 30, 2014	$	1,370
	Fair value adjustment		(1,370	)
	As of December 28, 2014	$	—
Marketable Securities [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Cash and cash equivalents
	Cash at financial institutions	$	52,616		$	9,978
	Cash equivalents
	Money market funds		6			4,636
	Total cash and cash equivalents	$	52,622		$	14,614
	Available-for-sale securities
	U.S. government and agency securities	$	—		$	22,512
	State and local government securities		—			2,772
	Corporate bonds and securities		—			71,253
	Asset-backed securities		—			27,635
	Mortgage-backed securities		—			28,248
	Total short-term marketable securities	$	—		$	152,420
Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
	Gross realized gains	$	—		$	136		$	264		$	518
	Gross realized losses		—			(69	)		(238	)		(477	)
	Net realized income (losses)	$	—		$	67		$	26		$	41
Available-for-sale Securities [Table Text Block]		30-Mar-14
		Amortized			Unrealized			Unrealized			Fair Value
		Cost			Gross			Gross
					Gains (1)			Losses (1)
	Money market funds	$	4,636		$	—		$	—		$	4,636
	U.S. government and agency securities		22,550			1			(39	)		22,512
	State and local government securities		2,762			10			—			2,772
	Corporate bonds and securities		71,309			32			(88	)		71,253
	Asset-backed securities		27,661			22			(48	)		27,635
	Mortgage-backed securities		28,362			24			(138	)		28,248
	Total investments	$	157,280		$	89		$	(313	)	$	157,056
Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]		30-Mar-14
		Amortized			Fair Value
		Cost
	Less than 1 year	$	49,539		$	49,504
	Due in 1 to 5 years		107,741			107,552
	Total	$	157,280		$	157,056
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Investments [Table Text Block]		30-Mar-14
		Less than 12 months						12 months or greater						Total
		Fair Value			Gross			Fair Value			Gross			Fair Value		Gross
					Unrealized						Unrealized					Unrealized
					Losses						Losses					Losses
	U.S. government and agency securities	$	18,245		$	(39	)	$	—		$	—		$	18,245	$	(39	)
	Corporate bonds and securities		48,379			(87	)		596			(1	)		48,975		(88	)
	Asset-backed securities		7,118			(12	)		5,478			(36	)		12,596		(48	)
	Mortgage-backed securities		19,682			(120	)		983			(18	)		20,665		(138	)
	Total	$	93,424		$	(258	)	$	7,057		$	(55	)	$	100,481	$	(313	)

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible1

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill [Table Text Block]		December 28,		March 30,
		2014		2014
	Beginning balance	$	30,410	$	10,356
	Goodwill additions		14,461		20,054
	Ending balance	$	44,871	$	30,410
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Table Text Block]		28-Dec-14										30-Mar-14
		Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Impairment charge			Net Carrying Amount		Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount
	Amortized intangible assets:
	Existing technology	$	120,026	$	(44,745	)	$	(9,134	)	$	66,147	$	63,043	$	(37,510	)	$	25,533
	Customer relationships		15,165		(4,067	)		(870	)		10,228		6,095		(2,762	)		3,333
	Distributor relationships		7,254		(1,759	)		—			5,495		1,264		(1,260	)		4
	Patents/Core technology		3,459		(3,429	)		—			30		3,459		(3,378	)		81
	Trade names		1,330		(210	)		—			1,120		210		(51	)		159
	Total intangible assets subject to amortization		147,234		(54,210	)		(10,004	)		83,020		74,071		(44,961	)		29,110
	In-process research and development		9,148		—			(2,280	)		6,868		2,280		—			2,280
	Total	$	156,382	$	(54,210	)	$	(12,284	)	$	89,888	$	76,351	$	(44,961	)	$	31,390
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
		2014		2013			2014			2013
	Amortization expense	$	3,248	$	1,991		$	9,249		$	5,665
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]	Amortization Expense (by fiscal year)
	2015 (3 months remaining)	$	3,206
	2016		12,787
	2017		12,819
	2018		12,882
	2019		12,652
	2020 and thereafter		28,674
	Total future amortization	$	83,020

Note_7_Longterm_Investment_Tab

Note 7 - Long-term Investment (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Investments Schedule [Abstract]
Investment Holdings, Schedule of Investments [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Beginning balance	$	946		$	1,288
	Net distributions		(8	)		(19	)
	Impairment charges		(35	)		(323	)
	Ending balance	$	903		$	946

Note_8_Related_Party_Transacti1

Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Total Net Sales [Member]
Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Tables) [Line Items]
Schedule of Related Party Transactions [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Alonim		19%		29%		22%		27%
Net Accounts Receivable [Member]
Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Tables) [Line Items]
Schedule of Related Party Transactions [Table Text Block]		December 28,		March 30,
		2014		2014
	Alonim		3%		18%

Note_9_Shortterm_Debt_Tables

Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Interest Income and Interest Expense Disclosure [Table Text Block]		28-Dec-14
		Three months		Nine months
		ended		ended
	CTBC	$	9	$	265
	Stifel		—		646
	Total interest on short-term debt	$	9	$	911

Note_10_Common_Stock_Repurchas1

Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Activity [Table Text Block]		Total number of		Average Price Paid		Amount Paid for
		Shares Purchased		Per Share		Purchase
				(or Unit)
	As of March 31, 2013		9,564	$	9.22	$	88,189
	Repurchases – August 25 to September 29, 2013		153		13.07		1,999
	Repurchases – September 30 to October 27, 2013		73		13.63		1,001
	Repurchases – November 24 to December 29, 2013		83		12.09		1,000
	Repurchases – December 30, 2013 to January 26, 2014		122		11.61		1,417
	Repurchases – January 27 to February 23, 2014		324		11.05		3,583
	As of March 30, 2014		10,319	$	9.22	$	97,189
	Repurchases – March 31 to April 27, 2014		273		10.98		3,000
	Repurchases – July 28 to September 28, 2014		393		9.83		3,864
	Repurchases – September 29 to December 28, 2014		125		9.08		1,135
	As of December 28, 2014		11,110	$	9.47	$	105,188

Note_11_Restructuring_Charges_1

Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring and Related Costs [Table Text Block]		March 30,		Additions/		Non-cash			Payments			December 28,
		2014		adjustments		charges						2014
	Lease termination costs and others	$	1,615	$	294	$	(164	)	$	(1,485	)	$	260
	Impairment of fixed assets, licensed technologies and write down of inventory		—		6,568		(6,568	)		—			—
	Severance		754		3,574		—			(3,183	)		1,145
	Total	$	2,369	$	10,436	$	(6,732	)	$	(4,668	)	$	1,405
		April 1,		Additions/		Non-cash			Payments			March 30,
		2013		adjustments		charges						2014
	Lease termination costs and others	$	2,860	$	570	$	(57	)	$	(1,758	)	$	1,615
	Severance		426		2,444		—			(2,116	)		754
	Total	$	3,286	$	3,014	$	(57	)	$	(3,874	)	$	2,369

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio1

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Activity [Table Text Block]		As of			Nine Months Ended
		28-Dec-14			28-Dec-14
		Shares of Common			Shares of Common		Weighted
		Stock			Stock		Average
							Price per Share
	Authorized to issue		4,500
	Reserved for future issuance		1,352
	Issued					21	$	10.11
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity [Table Text Block]		Outstanding			Weighted		Weighted		Aggregate		In-the-money
					Average		Average		Intrinsic		Options
					Exercise		Remaining		Value		Vested and
					Price per		Contractual		(in thousands)		Exercisable
					Share		Term				(in thousands)
							(in years)
	Balance at March 30, 2014		7,213,848		$	8.98		5.02	$	21,301		2,170
	Granted		2,517,178			8.64
	Exercised		(523,193	)		6.85
	Cancelled		(183,895	)		12.76
	Forfeited		(981,008	)		10.49
	Balance at December 28, 2014		8,042,840		$	8.74		4.97	$	15,344		2,959
	Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014		7,487,866		$	8.66		4.88	$	14,864
	Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014		3,361,788		$	7.64		3.81	$	9,629
Schedule of Cash Proceeds Received from Share-based Payment Awards [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
	Intrinsic value of options exercised	$	668		$	805	$	1,524	$	2,699
Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units Activity [Table Text Block]		Shares			Weighted		Weighted		Aggregate
					Average		Average		Intrinsic
					Grant-		Remaining		Value
					Date		Contractual		(in thousands)
					Fair Value		Term
							(in years)
	Unvested at March 30, 2014		1,177,126		$	10.94		1.62	$	13,784
	Granted		337,022			9.27
	Issued and released		(230,553	)		10.65
	Cancelled		(178,663	)		12.05
	Unvested at December 28, 2014		1,104,932		$	10.31		1.4	$	11,370
	Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014		962,572					1.32	$	9,905
Schedule of Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
	Cost of sales	$	496		$	165	$	983	$	519
	Research and development		442			566		2,124		1,395
	Selling, general and administrative		3,284			1,826		7,842		5,353
	Total Stock-based compensation expense	$	4,222		$	2,557	$	10,949	$	7,267
Schedule of Unrecognized Compensation Cost, Nonvested Awards [Table Text Block]		28-Dec-14
		Amount			Weighted Average
		(in thousands)			Expected Remaining
					Period (in years)
	Options	$	10,338			2.45
	Performance Options		456			1.69
	RSUs		7,051			1.89
	PRSUs		1,329			1.98
	Total Unrecognized Stock-based compensation expense	$	19,174
Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014			2013		2014		2013
	Expected term of options (years)		4.67			4.5		4.53 – 4.70		4.40– 4.50
	Risk-free interest rate		1.28%			1.01%		1.25% – 1.34%		0.6% – 1.12%
	Expected volatility		33%			32%		32% –33%		32% –35%
	Expected dividend yield		—			—		—		—
	Weighted average estimated fair value	$	2.65		$	3.74	$	2.79	$	3.56

Note_13_Net_Income_Loss_Per_Sh1

Note 13 - Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
		December 28,			December 29,			December 28,			December 29,
		2014			2013			2014			2013
	Net income (loss) attributable to Exar Corporation	$	(6,599	)	$	(1,634	)	$	(42,056	)	$	5,654
	Shares used in computation of net income (loss) per share:
	Basic		47,119			47,529			47,165			47,277
	Effect of options and awards		─			─			─			1,538
	Diluted		47,119			47,529			47,165			48,815
	Net income (loss) per share
	Basic	$	(0.14	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.89	)	$	0.12
	Diluted	$	(0.14	)	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.89	)	$	0.12

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga1

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Schedule Of Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Amortization expense	$	848	$	800	$	2,448	$	2,494
Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments for Capital Leases [Table Text Block]	Fiscal Years	Design Tools
	2015 (3 months remaining)	$	1,323
	2016		1,583
	2017		1,534
	2018		6
	Total minimum lease payments		4,446
	Less: amount representing interest		130
	Present value of minimum lease payments		4,316
	Less: short-term lease financing obligations		2,837
	Long-term lease financing obligations	$	1,479
Schedule of Interest Expense [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Interest expense	$	37	$	39	$	115	$	115
Schedule of Rent Expense [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Rent expense	$	266	$	229	$	1,162	$	658
Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases [Table Text Block]	Fiscal Years	Facilities
	2015 (3 months remaining)	$	252
	2016		775
	2017		214
	Total minimum lease payments	$	1,241

Note_15_Commitments_and_Contin1

Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Product Warranty Liability [Table Text Block]		December 28,			March 30,
		2014			2014
	Beginning balance	$	1,074		$	50
	Provisions for warranties issued		458			1,480
	Settlements/adjustments		(918	)		(456	)
	Ending balance	$	614		$	1,074

Note_17_Income_Taxes_Tables

Note 17 - Income Taxes (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule Of Interest And Penalty Related To Underpayment Of Tax [Table Text Block]		December 28,		March 30,
		2014		2014
	Accrued interest and penalties	$	1,327	$	83

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic1

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Industrial & Embedded Systems	$	20,506	$	18,429	$	59,029	$	52,870
	High-End Consumer		16,202		68		35,825		419
	Infrastructure		7,607		12,193		23,339		44,046
	Total net sales	$	44,315	$	30,690	$	118,193	$	97,335
Schedule of Revenue from External Customers Attributed to Foreign Countries by Geographic Area [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	China	$	17,089	$	11,566	$	44,586	$	33,860
	United States		6,070		9,285		17,309		31,325
	Taiwan		5,496		413		12,732		2,206
	Korea		4,666		1,038		11,920		2,564
	Singapore		4,076		3,138		11,271		10,068
	Germany		2,008		2,456		8,020		8,124
	Rest of world		4,910		2,794		12,355		9,188
	Total net sales	$	44,315	$	30,690	$	118,193	$	97,335
Schedule of Revenue by Major Customers by Reporting Segments [Table Text Block]		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		December 28,		December 29,		December 28,		December 29,
		2014		2013		2014		2013
	Distributor A		19%		26%		22%		26%
	Distributor B		*		21%		*		23%
	Distributor C		*		13%		*		11%
Schedule Of Major Distributors [Table Text Block]		December 28,		March 30,
		2014		2014
	Distributor A		*		16%
	Distributor B		12%		17%
	Distributor C		11%		12%
	Distributor D		*		14%
	Distributor F		13%		*

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Oct. 31, 2014	Sep. 15, 2014	Jun. 03, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014	Jan. 14, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Jul. 05, 2013	Jul. 05, 2014
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs	$179,000	$257,000	$6,955,000	$866,000
Amortization of Intangible Assets	2,533,000	1,898,000	9,215,000	5,346,000
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	4,222,000	2,557,000	10,949,000	7,267,000
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	71,000	-1,405,000	870,000	-8,181,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross					18,900,000
Pro Forma [Member] | Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs	-100,000	0	-11,300,000	0
Amortization of Intangible Assets	0	2,400,000	2,400,000	7,300,000
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	400,000	200,000	700,000	800,000
Increase (Decrease) in Intangible Assets, Current	0	-100,000	-100,000	-300,000
Stock or Unit Option Plan Expense	-200,000	-200,000	-600,000	-300,000
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	0	0	600,000	-600,000
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired							92.00%	8.00%
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross							206,411,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred							228,118,000	18,900,000
Business Acquisition, Equity Interest Issued or Issuable, Number of Shares (in Shares)								1.5
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities								3,800,000
Acquired Intangible Assets Discount Rate							16.90%
Goodwill, Acquired During Period			14,500,000			14,500,000
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs	100,000		7,300,000
Stretch, Inc. [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred									10,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities									10,604,000
Goodwill, Acquired During Period									700,000	700,000
Business Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation Goodwill Expected Tax Deductible Period (in years)									15 years
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred												34,837,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities												8,216,000
Goodwill, Acquired During Period										$19,400,000	$19,400,000

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D1

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Business Acquistion Purchase Price (Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member], USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 03, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Business Acquistion Purchase Price [Line Items]
Cash	$206,411
Consideration for the acquisition of non-controlling interests	17,872
Fair value of assumed iML employee options	3,835
Total purchase price	$228,118	$18,900

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D2

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Fair Value Allocated to Tangible and Identifiable Intangible Assets (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 03, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Identifiable tangible assets (liabilities)
Goodwill			$44,871	$30,410	$10,356
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Identifiable tangible assets (liabilities)
Cash	133,752
Accounts receivable	10,096
Inventories	3,950
Other current assets	962
Property, plant and equipment	480
Other assets	308
Current liabilities	-12,356
Long-term liabilities	-3,595
Total identifiable tangible assets (liabilities), net	133,597
Identifiable intangible assets	80,060
Total identifiable assets, net	213,657
Goodwill	14,461
Fair value of total consideration transferred	$228,118	$18,900

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D3

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Components of Identifiable Intangible Assets Acquired in Connection with the iML Acquisition (Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member], USD $)	Jun. 03, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	$80,060
Developed Technology Rights [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	55,780
In Process Research and Development [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	8,100
Customer Relationships [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	15,060
Trade Names [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	$1,120

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D4

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Financial Information (Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Financial Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$44,315	$45,243	$128,923	$143,544
Net income (loss)	($6,834)	$306	($34,260)	$5,646
Earnings (loss) per share
Basic	($0.15)	$0.01	($0.73)	$0.12
Diluted	($0.15)	$0.01	($0.73)	$0.12

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D5

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Stretch, Inc. (USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 14, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Stretch, Inc. [Line Items]
Goodwill		$44,871	$30,410	$10,356
Stretch, Inc. [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Stretch, Inc. [Line Items]
Tangible assets	2,937
Intangible assets	7,010
Goodwill	667
Liabilities assumed	-10,604
Fair value of total consideration transferred	$10

Note_3_Business_Combinations_D6

Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Cadeka (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jul. 05, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Cadeka [Line Items]
Goodwill		$44,871	$30,410	$10,356
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Note 3 - Business Combinations (Details) - Allocation of the Purchase Price to Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed in the Acquisition of Cadeka [Line Items]
Tangible assets	3,286
Intangible assets	20,380
Goodwill	19,387
Liabilities assumed	-8,216
Fair value of total consideration transferred	$34,837

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details_D

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details (Details) - Inventories (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Inventories [Abstract]
Work-in-process and raw materials	$21,177	$13,555
Finished goods	11,889	15,427
Total inventories	$33,066	$28,982

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details_D1

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details (Details) - Property, Plant and Equipment (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Land	$6,660	$6,660
Building	17,462	16,787
Machinery and equipment	41,356	40,675
Software and licenses	22,323	17,549
Property, plant and equipment, total	87,801	81,671
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	-67,128	-60,391
Total property, plant and equipment, net	$20,673	$21,280

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details_D2

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details (Details) - Other Current Liabilities (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Current Liabilities [Abstract]
Short-term lease financing obligations	$2,837	$2,671
Accrued retention bonus	2,725
Accrued income tax	1,556	74
Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs	1,390	2,214
Accrued manufacturing expenses, royalties and licenses	1,284	1,639
Purchase consideration holdback	1,006	1,256
Accrued legal and professional services	849	1,453
Other	2,740	2,063
Total other current liabilities	$14,387	$11,370

Note_4_Balance_Sheet_Details_D3

Note 4 - Balance Sheet Details (Details) - Other Noncurrent Obligations (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Other Noncurrent Obligations [Abstract]
Long-term taxes payable	$4,313	$794
Deferred tax liability	1,059	614
Accrued restructuring charges and exit costs	15	155
Fair value of earn out liability – long-term		3,853
Accrued retention bonus		1,181
Other	18	29
Total other non-current obligations	$5,405	$6,626

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) [Line Items]
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Unrealized Holding Gain (Loss) on Securities Arising During Period, Tax		$828
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses, Investments, Available-for-sale Securities	0	0
CounterPath [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) [Line Items]
Common Stock Shares Received, Dissolution (in Shares)	93,000	93,000
Altior Inc. and Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration, Liability			$0

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Inve

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Investment Assets Measured at Fair Value (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Apr. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Assets:
Investment assets	$62	$157,056
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		4,343
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		9,378
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		13,134
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		22,512
US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		2,772
US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		2,772
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		5
Corporate Debt Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		71,248
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		71,253
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		27,635
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		27,635
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		28,248
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		28,248
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		4,636
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	6
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	6	14,019
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | CounterPath [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	56
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	56	143,037
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Altior [Member]
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		2,973
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		1,370
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		4,343
Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets		4,636
Altior [Member]
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		2,973
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Liabilities:
Investment liabilities		1,370
Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	6
CounterPath [Member]
Assets:
Investment assets	$56

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Chan

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Change in Fair Value of our Purchase Consideration Liabilities (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Apr. 30, 2014
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Balance		$4,343
Acquisition Related Contingent Consideration [Member] | Altior [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Balance	2,973
Fair value adjustment	-2,973
Acquisition Related Contingent Consideration [Member] | Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Balance	1,370
Fair value adjustment	-1,370
Altior [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Balance		2,973
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Balance		$1,370

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Cash

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-term Marketable Securities (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash at financial institutions	$52,616	$9,978
Cash equivalents
Money market funds	6	4,636
Total cash and cash equivalents	52,622	14,614	21,070	14,718
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		152,420
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		22,512
US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		2,772
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		71,253
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		27,635
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities
Short-term marketable securities		$28,248

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Net_

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Net Realized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Securities (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Net Realized Gains (Losses) on Marketable Securities [Abstract]
Gross realized gains	$136	$264	$518
Gross realized losses	-69	-238	-477
Net realized income (losses)	$67	$26	$41

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Summ

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of Investments in Marketable Securities (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	$157,280
Unrealized Gross Gains	89	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses	-313	[1]
Fair Value	157,056
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	22,550
Unrealized Gross Gains	1	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses	-39	[1]
Fair Value	22,512
US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	2,762
Unrealized Gross Gains	10	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses		[1]
Fair Value	2,772
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	71,309
Unrealized Gross Gains	32	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses	-88	[1]
Fair Value	71,253
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	27,661
Unrealized Gross Gains	22	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses	-48	[1]
Fair Value	27,635
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	28,362
Unrealized Gross Gains	24	[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses	-138	[1]
Fair Value	28,248
Money Market Funds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	4,636
Unrealized Gross Gains		[1]
Unrealized Gross Losses		[1]
Fair Value	$4,636
[1]	Gross of tax impact of $828

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Amor

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities [Abstract]
Less than 1 year	$49,539
Less than 1 year	49,504
Due in 1 to 5 years	107,741
Due in 1 to 5 years	107,552
Total	157,280
Total	$157,056

Note_5_Fair_Value_Details_Summ1

Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments (USD $)	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments [Line Items]
Fair Value, Less than 12 Months	$93,424
Gross Unrealized Losses Less than 12 Months	-258
Fair Value, 12 Months or Greater	7,057
Gross Unrealized Losses, 12 Months or Greater	-55
Fair Value Total	100,481
Gross Unrealized Losses Total	-313	[1]
US Government Agencies Debt Securities [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments [Line Items]
Fair Value, Less than 12 Months	18,245
Gross Unrealized Losses Less than 12 Months	-39
Fair Value Total	18,245
Gross Unrealized Losses Total	-39	[1]
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments [Line Items]
Fair Value, Less than 12 Months	48,379
Gross Unrealized Losses Less than 12 Months	-87
Fair Value, 12 Months or Greater	596
Gross Unrealized Losses, 12 Months or Greater	-1
Fair Value Total	48,975
Gross Unrealized Losses Total	-88	[1]
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments [Line Items]
Fair Value, Less than 12 Months	7,118
Gross Unrealized Losses Less than 12 Months	-12
Fair Value, 12 Months or Greater	5,478
Gross Unrealized Losses, 12 Months or Greater	-36
Fair Value Total	12,596
Gross Unrealized Losses Total	-48	[1]
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Note 5 - Fair Value (Details) - Summary of the Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Values of Investments [Line Items]
Fair Value, Less than 12 Months	19,682
Gross Unrealized Losses Less than 12 Months	-120
Fair Value, 12 Months or Greater	983
Gross Unrealized Losses, 12 Months or Greater	-18
Fair Value Total	20,665
Gross Unrealized Losses Total	($138)	[1]
[1]	Gross of tax impact of $828

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible2

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Sep. 15, 2014	Jul. 05, 2013	Mar. 30, 2014	Jan. 14, 2014
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Number of Operating Segments			1
IPR&D Reclassed to Existing Technology (in Dollars)	$1,200,000
Impairment of Intangible Assets (Excluding Goodwill) (in Dollars)		12,300,000	12,284,000
Existing Technology [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			2 years
Existing Technology [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			9 years
Customer Relationships [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			5 years
Customer Relationships [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			7 years
Distribution Rights [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			6 years
Distribution Rights [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			7 years
Patented Technology [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			5 years
Patented Technology [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			6 years
Trade Names [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			3 years
Trade Names [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life			6 years
Integrated Memory Logic Limited [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period (in Dollars)			14,500,000	14,500,000
Cadeka Microcircuits [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period (in Dollars)					19,400,000	19,400,000
Stretch, Inc. [Member]
Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) [Line Items]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period (in Dollars)						$700,000	$700,000

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible3

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - Changes in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Changes in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill [Abstract]
Beginning balance	$30,410	$10,356
Goodwill additions	14,461	20,054
Ending balance	$44,871	$30,410

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible4

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - Purchased Intangible Assets (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	$147,234	$74,071
Accumulated Amortization	-54,210	-44,961
Impairment charge	-10,004
Net Carrying Amount	83,020	29,110
Total	156,382	76,351
Total	-54,210	-44,961
Total	-12,284
Total	89,888	31,390
In Process Research and Development [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
In-process research and development	9,148	2,280
In-process research and development	-2,280
In-process research and development	6,868	2,280
Technology-Based Intangible Assets [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	120,026	63,043
Accumulated Amortization	-44,745	-37,510
Impairment charge	-9,134
Net Carrying Amount	66,147	25,533
Total	-44,745	-37,510
Customer Relationships [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	15,165	6,095
Accumulated Amortization	-4,067	-2,762
Impairment charge	-870
Net Carrying Amount	10,228	3,333
Total	-4,067	-2,762
Distribution Rights [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	7,254	1,264
Accumulated Amortization	-1,759	-1,260
Net Carrying Amount	5,495	4
Total	-1,759	-1,260
Patents [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	3,459	3,459
Accumulated Amortization	-3,429	-3,378
Net Carrying Amount	30	81
Total	-3,429	-3,378
Trade Names [Member]
Amortized intangible assets:
Carrying Amount	1,330	210
Accumulated Amortization	-210	-51
Net Carrying Amount	1,120	159
Total	($210)	($51)

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible5

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - Aggregate Amortization Expenses for Purchased Intangible Assets (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Aggregate Amortization Expenses for Purchased Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Amortization expense	$3,248	$1,991	$9,249	$5,665

Note_6_Goodwill_and_Intangible6

Note 6 - Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - Estimated Future Amortization Expenses for Purchased Intangible Assets (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Amortization Expense (by fiscal year)
2015 (3 months remaining)	$3,206
2016	12,787
2017	12,819
2018	12,882
2019	12,652
2020 and thereafter	28,674
Total future amortization	$83,020	$29,110

Note_7_Longterm_Investment_Det

Note 7 - Long-term Investment (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 30, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Note 7 - Long-term Investment (Details) [Line Items]
Long-term Investments	$946,000	$903,000	$1,288,000
Long-term Investments, Cumulative Impairment Charges		400,000
Skypoint Fund [Member]
Note 7 - Long-term Investment (Details) [Line Items]
Investments in and Advance to Affiliates, Subsidiaries, Associates, and Joint Ventures		4,800,000
Cost-method Investments, Other than Temporary Impairment	$323,000	$35,000

Note_7_Longterm_Investment_Det1

Note 7 - Long-term Investment (Details) - Summary of Long-term Investment (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Summary of Long-term Investment [Abstract]
Beginning balance	$946	$1,288
Net distributions	-8	-19
Impairment charges	-35	-323
Ending balance	$903	$946

Note_8_Related_Party_Transacti2

Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Details)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Details) [Line Items]
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	47,261,975	47,336,005
Alonim Investments Inc. [Member]
Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Details) [Line Items]
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	7,600,000
Percentage Of Common Stock Shares Outstanding	16.00%

Note_8_Related_Party_Transacti3

Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Details) - Related Party Contributions to Total Net Sales (Alonim Investments Inc. [Member], Sales Revenue, Net [Member], Customer Concentration Risk [Member])	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Alonim Investments Inc. [Member] | Sales Revenue, Net [Member] | Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Alonim	19.00%	29.00%	22.00%	27.00%

Note_8_Related_Party_Transacti4

Note 8 - Related Party Transactions (Details) - Related Party Receivables As a Percentage of Net Accounts Receivable (Alonim Investments Inc. [Member], Accounts Receivable [Member], Customer Concentration Risk [Member])	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Alonim Investments Inc. [Member] | Accounts Receivable [Member] | Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Alonim	3.00%	18.00%

Note_9_Shortterm_Debt_Details

Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	27-May-14	Jun. 29, 2014	Jun. 09, 2014	Sep. 28, 2014
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt (in Dollars)	$91,000,000
Repayments of Debt (in Dollars)	91,000,000
Scenario 1 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	7.50%
Scenario 1 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | After the Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	8.50%
Scenario 1 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date	90 days
Scenario 2 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	8.50%
Scenario 2 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | After the Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	9.50%
Scenario 2 [Member] | Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Initial Duration Following the Initial Funding Date	90 days
Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	0.50%
Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate	1.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage Rate Range, Minimum	1.50%
Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage Rate Range, Minimum	2.50%
Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Bridge Facility [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt (in Dollars)		65,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount (in Dollars)		90,000,000
Repayments of Debt (in Dollars)			26,000,000
CTBC [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt (in Dollars)				26,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage				3.25%
Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) [Line Items]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current (in Dollars)					$26,000,000

Note_9_Shortterm_Debt_Details_

Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) - Interest on Short-term Debt (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) - Interest on Short-term Debt [Line Items]
Interest on short-term debt	$9	$911
CTBC [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) - Interest on Short-term Debt [Line Items]
Interest on short-term debt	9	265
Stifel Financial Corp. [Member]
Note 9 - Short-term Debt (Details) - Interest on Short-term Debt [Line Items]
Interest on short-term debt		$646

Note_10_Common_Stock_Repurchas2

Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases (Details) (USD $)	Aug. 28, 2007	Jul. 09, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
August 2007 Repurchase Plan [Member]
Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases (Details) [Line Items]
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount	$100
July 2013 Repurchase Program [Member]
Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases (Details) [Line Items]
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount		$50

Note_10_Common_Stock_Repurchas3

Note 10 - Common Stock Repurchases (Details) - Stock Repurchase Activities (USD $)	1 Months Ended						2 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 27, 2014	Feb. 23, 2014	Jan. 26, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Oct. 27, 2013	Sep. 29, 2013	Sep. 28, 2014	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Stock Repurchase Activities [Abstract]
Balances, Total number of Shares Purchased								11,110	10,319	9,564
Balances, Average Price Paid Per Share (or Unit)								$9.47	$9.22	$9.22
Balances, Amount Paid for Purchase								$105,188	$97,189	$88,189
Repurchases, Total number of Shares Purchased	273	324	122	83	73	153	393	125
Repurchases, Average Price Paid Per Share (or Unit)	$10.98	$11.05	$11.61	$12.09	$13.63	$13.07	$9.83	$9.08
Repurchases, Amount Paid for Purchase	$3,000	$3,583	$1,417	$1,000	$1,001	$1,999	$3,864	$1,135

Note_11_Restructuring_Charges_2

Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Details) [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	$3,500	$100	$10,400	$1,500
Employee Severance [Member]
Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Details) [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				1,300
Facility Closing [Member]
Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Details) [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges				$200

Note_11_Restructuring_Charges_3

Note 11 - Restructuring Charges and Exit Costs (Details) - Summary of Activities Affecting Liabilities (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	$2,369	$3,286
Additions/Adjustments	10,436	3,014
Non-cash Charges	-6,732	-57
Payments	-4,668	-3,874
Ending Balance	1,405	2,369
Lease Contract Termination Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	1,615	2,860
Additions/Adjustments	294	570
Non-cash Charges	-164	-57
Payments	-1,485	-1,758
Ending Balance	260	1,615
Impairment of Fixed Assets and Write Down of Inventory [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Additions/Adjustments	6,568
Non-cash Charges	-6,568
Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	754	426
Additions/Adjustments	3,574	2,444
Payments	-3,183	-2,116
Ending Balance	$1,145	$754

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio2

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

Dec. 28, 2014

Dec. 29, 2013

Dec. 28, 2014

Dec. 29, 2013

Jan. 31, 2014

Jan. 31, 2012

Mar. 31, 2012

Jun. 30, 2013

Sep. 28, 2014

Jan. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 28, 2014

Oct. 31, 2013

Oct. 31, 2014

Mar. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Sep. 18, 2014

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Number (in Shares)

8,042,840

8,042,840

8,042,840

7,213,848

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized (in Shares)

4,500,000

4,500,000

4,500,000

Share Price (in Dollars per share)

$10.29

$10.29

$10.29

$11.71

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross (in Shares)

2,517,178

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

$4,222,000

$2,557,000

$10,949,000

$7,267,000

Employee Stock Option [Member] | Chief Executive Officer [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross (in Shares)

140,000

480,000

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award, Vesting, Number of Installments

4

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

75,000

65,000

262,000

195,000

Performance-Based RSUs [Member] | Chief Executive Officer [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award, Vesting, Number of Installments

3

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

146,000

119,000

1,026,000

641,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

300,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

3 years

Performance-Based RSUs [Member] | Certain Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award, Vesting, Number of Installments

3

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

-53,000

91,000

-151,000

239,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

50,000

Performance-Based RSUs [Member] | Former Stretch Employees [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award, Vesting, Number of Installments

3

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

-47,000

-122,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

82,500

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

3 years

Performance-Based RSUs [Member] | 2014 Incentive Program [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

-290,000

-295,000

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Two Terminated Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

60,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

12 months

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | One of Two Terminated Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Stock Granted, Value, Share-based Compensation, Gross

479,000

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Chief Executive Officer [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

100,000

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Cadeka Employees [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

506,000

1,519,000

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Two Terminated Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

1,519,000

1,519,000

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

337,022

October 2013 PRSUs [Member] | Certain Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

-78,000

October 2013 PRSUs [Member] | Certain Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award, Vesting, Number of Installments

3

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

-208,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period (in Shares)

70,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period

3 years

Subsequent Event [Member] | Two Terminated Executives [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Sharebased Compensation Arrangement by Share Based Payment Award Additional Vesing Period For Outstanding Stock Awards

13 months

Sharebased Compensation Arrangement by Share Based Payment Award Additional Exercise Period For Vested Stock Awards

25 months

Chief Executive Officer [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Number of RSUs Modified Into PRSUs (in Shares)

50,000

Employee Stock Participation Plan [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Purchase Price of Common Stock, Percent

95.00%

2006 Plan and Sipex 2006 Plan [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Number (in Shares)

6,555,492

2006 Plan [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized (in Shares)

669,008

2014 Plan [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized (in Shares)

5,170,000

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant (in Shares)

4,800,000

4,800,000

4,800,000

2015 Incentive Program [Member]

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) [Line Items]

Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense

$679,000

$1,256,000

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio3

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - ESPP Transactions (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014
ESPP Transactions [Abstract]
Authorized to issue	4,500
Reserved for future issuance	1,352
Issued	21
Issued (in Dollars per share)	$10.11

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio4

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Stock Option Transactions (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Stock Option Transactions [Abstract]
Options Outstanding	8,042,840	7,213,848
Weighted Average Exercise Price of Options Outstanding (in Dollars per share)	$8.74	$8.98
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term of Options Outstanding	4 years 354 days	5 years 7 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in Dollars)	$15,344	$21,301
In-the-Money Options Vested and Exercisable	2,959,000	2,170,000
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014	7,487,866
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014 (in Dollars per share)	$8.66
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014	4 years 321 days
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014 (in Dollars)	14,864
Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014	3,361,788
Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014 (in Dollars per share)	$7.64
Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014	3 years 295 days
Vested and exercisable, December 28, 2014 (in Dollars)	$9,629
Granted	2,517,178
Granted (in Dollars per share)	$8.64
Exercised	-523,193
Exercised (in Dollars per share)	$6.85
Cancelled	-183,895
Cancelled (in Dollars per share)	$12.76
Forfeited	-981,008
Forfeited (in Dollars per share)	$10.49

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio5

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Options Exercised (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Options Exercised [Abstract]
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$668	$805	$1,524	$2,699

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio6

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - RSU Transactions (Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member], USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - RSU Transactions [Line Items]
Shares	1,104,932	1,177,126
Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value (in Dollars per share)	$10.31	$10.94
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	1 year 146 days	1 year 226 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) (in Dollars)	$11,370	$13,784
Granted	337,022
Granted (in Dollars per share)	$9.27
Issued and released	-230,553
Issued and released (in Dollars per share)	$10.65
Cancelled	-178,663
Cancelled (in Dollars per share)	$12.05
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014	962,572
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014	1 year 116 days
Vested and expected to vest, December 28, 2014 (in Dollars)	$9,905

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio7

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Stock-based Compensation Expense	$4,222,000	$2,557,000	$10,949,000	$7,267,000
Cost of Sales [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Stock-based Compensation Expense	496,000	165,000	983,000	519,000
Research and Development Expense [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Stock-based Compensation Expense	442,000	566,000	2,124,000	1,395,000
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Stock-based Compensation Expense	$3,284,000	$1,826,000	$7,842,000	$5,353,000

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio8

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs [Line Items]
Amount	$19,174
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs [Line Items]
Amount	10,338
Weighted Average Expected Remaining Period	2 years 164 days
Performance Shares [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs [Line Items]
Amount	456
Weighted Average Expected Remaining Period	1 year 251 days
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs [Line Items]
Amount	7,051
Weighted Average Expected Remaining Period	1 year 324 days
Performance-Based RSUs [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Unrecognized Stock-based Compensation Expense Related to Stock Options and RSUs [Line Items]
Amount	$1,329
Weighted Average Expected Remaining Period	1 year 357 days

Note_12_Stockbased_Compensatio9

Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Weighted Average Assumptions (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Weighted Average Assumptions [Line Items]
Expected term of options (years)	4 years 244 days	4 years 6 months
Risk-free interest rate	1.28%	1.01%
Expected volatility	33.00%	32.00%
Weighted average estimated fair value (in Dollars per share)	$2.65	$3.74	$2.79	$3.56
Minimum [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Weighted Average Assumptions [Line Items]
Expected term of options (years)			4 years 193 days	4 years 146 days
Risk-free interest rate			1.25%	0.60%
Expected volatility			32.00%	32.00%
Maximum [Member]
Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation (Details) - Weighted Average Assumptions [Line Items]
Expected term of options (years)			4 years 255 days	4 years 6 months
Risk-free interest rate			1.34%	1.12%
Expected volatility			33.00%	35.00%

Note_13_Net_Income_Loss_Per_Sh2

Note 13 - Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Details) (Stock Options, Warrants and RSUs [Member])	9 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 29, 2013
Stock Options, Warrants and RSUs [Member]
Note 13 - Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Details) [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	1.1

Note_13_Net_Income_Loss_Per_Sh3

Note 13 - Net Income (Loss) Per Share (Details) - Summary of Net Income (Loss) per Share (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Summary of Net Income (Loss) per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss) attributable to Exar Corporation (in Dollars)	($6,599)	($1,634)	($42,056)	$5,654
Shares used in computation of net income (loss) per share:
Basic	47,119	47,529	47,165	47,277
Effect of options and awards				1,538
Diluted	47,119	47,529	47,165	48,815
Net income (loss) per share
Basic (in Dollars per share)	($0.14)	($0.03)	($0.89)	$0.12
Diluted (in Dollars per share)	($0.14)	($0.03)	($0.89)	$0.12

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga2

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2012	Dec. 30, 2011	Oct. 31, 2011	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) [Line Items]
Capital Lease Obligations, License Term	3 years	3 years	3 years	3 years
Repayments of Long-term Capital Lease Obligations	$1,500,000				$1,007,000	$2,898,000
Capital Lease Obligations [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage					2.00%
Capital Lease Obligations [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage					7.25%
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net [Member]
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) [Line Items]
Capital Lease Obligations	$4,400,000	900,000	4,500,000	5,800,000

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga3

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Amortization Expense Related to the Design Tools (Design Tools [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Design Tools [Member]
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Amortization Expense Related to the Design Tools [Line Items]
Amortization expense	$848	$800	$2,448	$2,494

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga4

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Future Minimum Lease and Sublease Income Payments for Lease Financing Obligations (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Future Minimum Lease and Sublease Income Payments for Lease Financing Obligations [Abstract]
2015 (3 months remaining)	$1,323
2016	1,583
2017	1,534
2018	6
Total minimum lease payments	4,446
Less: amount representing interest	130
Present value of minimum lease payments	4,316
Less: short-term lease financing obligations	2,837	2,671
Long-term lease financing obligations	$1,479

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga5

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Interest Expense (Design Tools [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Design Tools [Member]
Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Interest Expense [Line Items]
Interest expense	$37	$39	$115	$115

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga6

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Rent Expense (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Rent Expense [Abstract]
Rent expense	$266	$229	$1,162	$658

Note_14_Lease_Financing_Obliga7

Note 14 - Lease Financing Obligations (Details) - Operating Lease (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Operating Lease [Abstract]
2015 (3 months remaining)	$252
2016	775
2017	214
Total minimum lease payments	$1,241

Note_15_Commitments_and_Contin2

Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Sep. 29, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014
Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies (Details) [Line Items]
Product Warranty Accrual	$614,000	$1,074,000	$1,400,000	$50,000
Warranties [Member] | iML [Member]
Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies (Details) [Line Items]
Business Combination, Separately Recognized Transactions, Liabilities Recognized					$400,000

Note_15_Commitments_and_Contin3

Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Warranty Reserve Balance (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014	Sep. 29, 2013
Warranty Reserve Balance [Abstract]
Beginning balance	$1,074	$50	$1,400
Provisions for warranties issued	458	1,480
Settlements/adjustments	-918	-456
Ending balance	$614	$1,074	$1,400

Note_17_Income_Taxes_Details

Note 17 - Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Note 17 - Income Taxes (Details) [Line Items]
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	$71,000	($1,405,000)	$870,000	($8,181,000)
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Period Increase (Decrease)	300,000
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	17,200,000		17,200,000
Unrecognized Tax Benefits that Would Impact Effective Tax Rate	$14,400,000		$14,400,000
Earliest Tax Year [Member]
Note 17 - Income Taxes (Details) [Line Items]
Open Tax Year			2003
Latest Tax Year [Member]
Note 17 - Income Taxes (Details) [Line Items]
Open Tax Year			2013

Note_17_Income_Taxes_Details_E

Note 17 - Income Taxes (Details) - Estimated Interest and Penalties Related to the Underpayment of Income Taxes (USD $)	Dec. 28, 2014	Mar. 30, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Estimated Interest and Penalties Related to the Underpayment of Income Taxes [Abstract]
Accrued interest and penalties	$1,327	$83

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic2

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of Reportable Segments	1
Number of Operating Segments	1

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic3

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by End Market (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales by end market	$44,315	$30,690	$118,193	$97,335
Industrial And Embedded Systems [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales by end market	20,506	18,429	59,029	52,870
High End Consumer [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales by end market	16,202	68	35,825	419
Infrastructure [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales by end market	$7,607	$12,193	$23,339	$44,046

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic4

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014	Dec. 29, 2013
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	$44,315	$30,690	$118,193	$97,335
CHINA
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	17,089	11,566	44,586	33,860
UNITED STATES
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	6,070	9,285	17,309	31,325
TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF CHINA
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	5,496	413	12,732	2,206
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	4,666	1,038	11,920	2,564
SINGAPORE
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	4,076	3,138	11,271	10,068
GERMANY
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	2,008	2,456	8,020	8,124
Rest Of World [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Net Sales by Geographic Area [Line Items]
Net sales	$4,910	$2,794	$12,355	$9,188

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic5

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Revenue (Sales Revenue, Net [Member], Customer Concentration Risk [Member])	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014		Dec. 29, 2013	Dec. 28, 2014		Dec. 29, 2013
Distributor A [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Net Revenue	19.00%		26.00%	22.00%		26.00%
Distributor B [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Net Revenue		[1]	21.00%		[1]	23.00%
Distributor C [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Net Revenue		[1]	13.00%		[1]	11.00%
[1]	Net sales for this distributor or customer for this period were less than 10% of our net sales.

Note_18_Segment_and_Geographic6

Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable (Accounts Receivable [Member], Customer Concentration Risk [Member])	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2014		Mar. 30, 2014
Distributor A [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Distributor		[1]	16.00%
Distributor B [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Distributor	12.00%	[1]	17.00%
Distributor C [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Distributor	11.00%	[1]	12.00%
Distributor D [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Distributor		[1]	14.00%
Distributor F [Member]
Note 18 - Segment and Geographic Information (Details) - Major Distributors of Net Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Distributor	13.00%			[1]
[1]	Accounts receivable for this distributor for this period were less than 10% of total account balance.