Note 1 - Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Dec. 26, 2014
Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	Note 1. Basis of Presentation Business Description General – Advanced Photonix, Inc. ® (the Company, we, us, our, or API), was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in June 1988. API is a leading test and measurement company that packages optoelectronic semiconductors into high-speed optical receivers (HSOR products), custom optoelectronic subsystems (Optosolutions products) and Terahertz (THz products) instrumentation, serving the test and measurement, telecommunications, military/aerospace and medical markets. The Company supports the customers from the initial concept and design phase of the product, through testing to full-scale production. The Company has two manufacturing facilities located in Camarillo, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries (Silicon Sensors Inc. Picometrix®, LLC, and Advanced Photonix Canada, Inc.). The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). All material inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the nine-month period ended December 26, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the balance of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis and the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on June 30, 2014. Recent Events- On January 30, 2015, the Company entered into a merger agreement with Luna Innovations Incorporated (trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol of LUNA) (“Luna”) and API Merger Sub (“Merger Sub”) pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into API and API will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Luna ("the Merger"). On the effective time of the merger, the existing stockholders of API will receive 0.31782 of a share of Luna common stock for each share of API’s Class A common stock owned by them. The closing of the transaction is subject the approval of the stockholders of each of Luna and API and other customary closing conditions. The Company anticipates the transaction to close by late spring or early summer 2015. The proposed merger is expected to provide API's shareholders the ability to realize the value added associated with a larger company and to execute the Company's growth plans over the near term. The merger agreement may be terminated by either Luna or API under certain circumstances, including if the merger has not been consummated on or before August 31, 2015, if the approval of the stockholders of either Luna or API is not obtained and for certain breaches of representations and warranties. If the merger agreement is terminated in certain specified circumstances, API must pay Luna, or Luna must pay API, as applicable, a termination fee of $750,000. In addition, if the merger agreement is terminated following a meeting of the stockholders of Luna or API at which the adoption of the merger agreement and approval of the transactions contemplated thereby, or the approval of the issuance of shares of Luna Common Stock to existing API stockholders as consideration for the merger is not approved, then Luna or API, as applicable, will be required to pay an amount up to $250,000 in reimbursement of the other party’s out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the transaction. See Note 5 regarding recent modifications to the Company's debt facilities. Recent Accounting Pronouncements- In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP). The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required with the revenue recognition process than are required under existing U.S. GAAP. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2014-09 on the consolidated financial statement and has not yet determined the method by which the Company will adopt the standard in fiscal 2018. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, which provides guidance on determining when and how to disclose going concern uncertainties in the financial statements. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued. An entity must provide certain disclosures if conditions or events raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2014-15 on the consolidated financial statement and has not yet determined the impact the standard may have on the fiscal 2017 disclosures.

Note 1 - Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Dec. 26, 2014

Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]

Note 1. Basis of Presentation

Business Description

General – Advanced Photonix, Inc. ® (the Company, we, us, our, or API), was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in June 1988. API is a leading test and measurement company that packages optoelectronic semiconductors into high-speed optical receivers (HSOR products), custom optoelectronic subsystems (Optosolutions products) and Terahertz (THz products) instrumentation, serving the test and measurement, telecommunications, military/aerospace and medical markets. The Company supports the customers from the initial concept and design phase of the product, through testing to full-scale production. The Company has two manufacturing facilities located in Camarillo, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries (Silicon Sensors Inc. Picometrix®, LLC, and Advanced Photonix Canada, Inc.). The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). All material inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the nine-month period ended December 26, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the balance of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis and the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on June 30, 2014.

Recent Events- On January 30, 2015, the Company entered into a merger agreement with Luna Innovations Incorporated (trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol of LUNA) (“Luna”) and API Merger Sub (“Merger Sub”) pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into API and API will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Luna ("the Merger"). On the effective time of the merger, the existing stockholders of API will receive 0.31782 of a share of Luna common stock for each share of API’s Class A common stock owned by them. The closing of the transaction is subject the approval of the stockholders of each of Luna and API and other customary closing conditions. The Company anticipates the transaction to close by late spring or early summer 2015. The proposed merger is expected to provide API's shareholders the ability to realize the value added associated with a larger company and to execute the Company's growth plans over the near term.

The merger agreement may be terminated by either Luna or API under certain circumstances, including if the merger has not been consummated on or before August 31, 2015, if the approval of the stockholders of either Luna or API is not obtained and for certain breaches of representations and warranties. If the merger agreement is terminated in certain specified circumstances, API must pay Luna, or Luna must pay API, as applicable, a termination fee of $750,000. In addition, if the merger agreement is terminated following a meeting of the stockholders of Luna or API at which the adoption of the merger agreement and approval of the transactions contemplated thereby, or the approval of the issuance of shares of Luna Common Stock to existing API stockholders as consideration for the merger is not approved, then Luna or API, as applicable, will be required to pay an amount up to $250,000 in reimbursement of the other party’s out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the transaction.

See Note 5 regarding recent modifications to the Company's debt facilities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements- In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP). The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required with the revenue recognition process than are required under existing U.S. GAAP.

The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2014-09 on the consolidated financial statement and has not yet determined the method by which the Company will adopt the standard in fiscal 2018.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern, which provides guidance on determining when and how to disclose going concern uncertainties in the financial statements. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued. An entity must provide certain disclosures if conditions or events raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2014-15 on the consolidated financial statement and has not yet determined the impact the standard may have on the fiscal 2017 disclosures.