INCOME TAXES: (Details ) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Components of income before income taxes
United States	$ 6,709,000	$ 3,479,000	$ 2,324,000
Foreign	112,858,000	9,873,000	20,979,000
Income before taxes on income	119,567,000	13,352,000	23,303,000
Current:
U.S. federal	6,178,000	2,838,000	1,660,000
State and local	890,000	437,000	462,000
Foreign	4,573,000	907,000	262,000
Total current	11,641,000	4,182,000	2,384,000
Deferred:
U.S. federal	(2,805,000)	(658,000)	(848,000)
State and local	(226,000)	(149,000)	46,000
Foreign	(423,000)		8,181,000
Total deferred	(3,454,000)	(228,000)	7,379,000
Provision for taxes on income	8,187,000	3,375,000	9,763,000
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards	30,644,000	23,078,000
Research and development costs		3,866,000
Reserves and accruals	7,499,000	3,940,000
Depreciation and amortization	(174,000)	49,000
Gross deferred tax assets	37,969,000	30,933,000
Valuation allowance	(32,073,000)	(28,491,000)
Net deferred tax assets	5,896,000	2,442,000
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards	106,300,000
Non-Israeli subsidiaries' undistributed earnings	7,900,000
Reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax rate to the Company's effective tax rate
Tax at statutory rate (as a percent)	35.00%	34.00%	34.00%
State, net of federal benefit (as a percent)	0.50%	2.20%	1.10%
Meals and entertainment (as a percent)	0.10%	0.40%	0.10%
Tax at rates other than the statutory rate (as a percent)	(32.90%)	(15.60%)	5.60%
Share-based compensation (as a percent)	(0.10%)	3.20%	1.60%
Other, net (as a percent)	4.20%	1.00%	(0.50%)
Provision for taxes (as a percent)	6.80%	25.20%	41.90%
Tax benefits recognized to additional paid in capital (APIC) pool	5,100,000	2,400,000
Summary of the activity related to the Company's unrecognized tax benefits
Unrecognized tax benefits which would reduce the Company's income tax expense and effective tax rate, if recognized	9,700,000	4,100,000
Gross unrecognized tax benefits, beginning of the period	4,063,000	1,754,000
Increases in tax positions for prior years	120,000	985,000
Decreases in tax positions for prior years		(523,000)
Increases in tax positions for current year	5,533,000	1,847,000
Gross unrecognized tax benefits, end of the period	9,716,000	4,063,000	1,754,000
Total amount of accrued interest or penalties related to unrecognized tax benefit	400,000	200,000	100,000
Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor
Income tax holiday
Tax savings due to tax holiday	$ 27,400,000	$ 3,800,000
Increase in diluted earnings per share	$ 0.62	$ 0.10
Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor | Yokneam
Income tax holiday
Period of tax holiday	10 years
Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor | Tel-Aviv
Income tax holiday
Period of tax holiday	2 years
Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor | Tel-Aviv | Minimum
Income tax holiday
Reduced income tax rate after second year of tax holiday (as a percent)	10.00%
Period for which reduced income tax rates are applicable after second year of tax holiday	5 years
Ministry of Industry Trade and Labor | Tel-Aviv | Maximum
Income tax holiday
Reduced income tax rate after second year of tax holiday (as a percent)	25.00%
Period for which reduced income tax rates are applicable after second year of tax holiday	8 years