Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Apr. 25, 2012
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	KLIC
Entity Registrant Name	KULICKE & SOFFA INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000056978
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-29
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		74,040,835