Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 27, 2013	Dec. 28, 2012	Sep. 28, 2012	Sep. 27, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Loan facility to CPTC	$ 165.3
Varian's participation under the CPTC loan facility	115.3
Fixed fee committed		10
License fee committed		20
Environmental cleanup costs, third-party claim costs, project management costs and legal costs		0.2	0.2
Receivables of past and future environmental-related expenditures		2.4			2.4
Actual damages found by jury				40
Court ordered amount				102
Enhanced damages				80
Prejudgment interest to the damages award				13
Attorneys' fee added to the judgment				9
Aggregate accrual for ongoing proceedings		5.0
Range of reasonably possible loss for the University of Pittsburg matter, Minimum		0
Range of reasonably possible loss, maximum		102
Payments for restructuring charges		0	4.1
Long term accrued product warranty costs		2.0
Percentage of manufacturing capacity		50.00%
Percentage of fixed costs		50.00%
Royalties
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Royalty rate maximum		5
Cercla sites and one past facility
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated environmental remediation costs, minimum		1.9
Estimated environmental remediation costs, maximum		9.8
Amount accrued for environmental remediation expense		1.9
Cercla sites and one past facility | Minimum
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated time frames to resolve contingency related to environmental remediation contingencies, years		1
Cercla sites and one past facility | Maximum
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated time frames to resolve contingency related to environmental remediation contingencies, years		30
Other sites
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated environmental remediation costs, minimum		6.2
Estimated environmental remediation costs, maximum		35.8
Amount accrued for environmental remediation expense		9.3
Estimated environmental remediation costs, best estimate, undiscounted		12.2
Discount rate for environmental remediation costs, net of inflation		4.00%
Other sites | Minimum
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated time frames to resolve contingency related to environmental remediation contingencies, years		1
Other sites | Maximum
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated time frames to resolve contingency related to environmental remediation contingencies, years		30
Strategic global partnership
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Accrual of fixed fees during the period		0.5
Siemens AG | Strategic global partnership
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Amount payable related to product development milestones		0
Fixed fees payments made during period		$ 2.0