Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliation of Federal Statutory Rate on Loss before Income Taxes and before Gain from Sale of Equity Method Investment Rate to Effective Income Tax Rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory federal tax rate	(34.00%)	(34.00%)	(34.00%)
State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit	1.90%	46.40%	0.80%
(Decrease) increase in valuation allowance	46.50%	(138.40%)	46.90%
Tax credits	(13.60%)	29.90%	(12.40%)
Capital gain on sale to noncontrolling interest	3.90%	237.80%
Permanent items	0.90%	21.20%	0.40%
Decrease in unremitted Vicor Custom Power earnings	(0.90%)	(108.70%)
Foreign rate differential and deferred items	(0.80%)	(18.20%)	(0.30%)
Book income attributable to noncontrolling interest	0.10%	47.00%	(0.60%)
Decrease in tax reserves		(248.60%)	(3.70%)
Other	(0.20%)	(0.10%)
Effective income tax rate	3.80%	(165.70%)	(2.90%)

Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32698-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32687-109319

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Percentage of domestic federal statutory tax rate applicable to pretax income (loss).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34349781&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32698-109319

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Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to changes in the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32698-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32687-109319

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34349781&loc=d3e330036-122817

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Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to statutory income tax expense (benefit) outside of the country of domicile.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
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-Topic 740
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-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32698-109319

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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34349781&loc=d3e330036-122817

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Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interest income (loss) exempt from income taxes.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65882285&loc=d3e32698-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34349781&loc=d3e330036-122817

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Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to state and local income tax expense (benefit), net of federal tax expense (benefit).

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation capital gain on sale to noncontrolling interest.

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- Definition

Effective income tax rate reconciliation decrease in unremitted earnings.

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation increase decrease tax reserves.

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation permanent items.

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation tax credits adjustments.

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