Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Oct. 31, 2015
Document Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	NEOPHOTONICS CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0001227025
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2015
Trading Symbol	NPTN
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		40,523,326
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3