Liabilities - Performance Obligations Timing (Details)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Liabilities
Revenue, Practical Expedient, Remaining Performance Obligation	true
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-04-01
Performance obligations
Remaining performance obligations, expected timing of satisfaction	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-04-01
Performance obligations
Remaining performance obligations, expected timing of satisfaction	2 years

Indicates (true false) whether optional exemption was applied not to disclose amount of transaction price allocated to and explanation of expected timing of revenue recognition for remaining performance obligation, when contract has expected duration of one year or less or right to consideration corresponds directly to performance completed.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 15
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118956577&loc=SL49130558-203045

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:booleanItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Period in which remaining performance obligation is expected to be recognized as revenue, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118956577&loc=SL49130556-203045

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	veco_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
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- Details

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