The Company and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
The Company and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Sep. 28, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Fiscal Period	QuickLogic's fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to December 31 and the fiscal quarters each end on the Sunday closest to the end of each calendar quarter. QuickLogic's third fiscal quarter for 2014 and for 2013 ended on Sunday, September 28, 2014 and September 29, 2013, respectively.
Liquidity	Liquidity The Company has financed its operations and capital investments through sales of common stock, capital and operating leases, and bank lines of credit. As of September 28, 2014, the Company's principal sources of liquidity consisted of cash and cash equivalents of $31.2 million and $5.0 million in available credit under its revolving line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank. Effective June 30, 2014, the Company entered into a Third Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank as amended by the First Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement, dated September 26, 2014 to extend the line of credit for two years through June 27, 2016. The Third Loan Agreement provides for committed loan advances of up to $6.0 million, subject to increase at the Company's election to up to $10.0 million. The Company currently uses its cash to fund its capital expenditures and operating losses. Based on past performance and current expectations, the Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents, together with available financial resources from the revolving line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank will be sufficient to fund its operations and capital expenditures and provide adequate working capital for the next twelve months. Over the longer term, the Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents, together with financial resources from its revolving line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank and its ability to sell additional shares to capital markets will be sufficient to satisfy its operations and capital expenditures. The Company's liquidity is affected by many factors including, among others: the level of revenue and gross profit as a result of the cyclicality of the semiconductor industry; the conversion of design opportunities into revenue; market acceptance of existing and new products including CSSPs based on its ArcticLink^® and PolarPro^® solution platforms; fluctuations in revenue as a result of product end-of-life; fluctuations in revenue as a result of the stage in the product life cycle of its customers' products; costs of securing access to and availability of adequate manufacturing capacity; levels of inventories; wafer and finished goods purchase commitments; customer credit terms; the amount and timing of research and development expenditures; the timing of new product introductions; production volumes; product quality; sales and marketing efforts; the value and liquidity of our investment portfolio; changes in operating assets and liabilities; the ability to obtain or renew debt financing and to remain in compliance with the terms of existing credit facilities; the ability to raise funds from the sale of equity in the Company; the issuance and exercise of stock options and participation in the Company's employee stock purchase plan; and other factors related to the uncertainties of the industry and global economics. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that events in the future will not require the Company to seek additional capital or, if so required, that such capital will be available on terms acceptable to the Company.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of QuickLogic and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency The functional currency of the Company's non-U.S. operations is the U.S. dollar. Accordingly, all monetary assets and liabilities of these foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars at current period-end exchange rates and non-monetary assets and related elements of expense are translated using historical exchange rates. Income and expense elements are translated to U.S. dollars using the average exchange rates in effect during the period. Gains and losses from the foreign currency transactions of these subsidiaries are recorded as interest income and other expense, net in the condensed unaudited consolidated statements of operations.
Use of Estimates	Uses of Estimates The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates, particularly in relation to revenue recognition, the allowance for doubtful accounts, sales returns, valuation of investments, valuation of long-lived assets, valuation of inventories including identification of excess quantities, market value and obsolescence, measurement of stock-based compensation awards, accounting for income taxes and estimating accrued liabilities.
Concentration Risk	Concentration of Risk The Company's accounts receivable are denominated in U.S. dollars and are derived primarily from sales to customers located in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral. See Note 11 for information regarding concentrations associated with accounts receivable.
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under 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 within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing 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 our pending adoption of ASU 2014-09 on its consolidated financial statements and has not yet determined the method by which it will adopt the standard in 2017. In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (Sub Topic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern(ASU 2014-15). This ASU 2014-15 provides guidance to an entity’s management with principles and definitions that are intended to reduce diversity in the timing and content of disclosures that are currently commonly provided by entities today in the financial statement footnotes. This ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is permitted for annual or interim reporting periods for which the financial statements have not previously been issued. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2014-15 on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.
Earnings Per Share	Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share was computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period under the treasury stock method. In computing diluted net income (loss) per share, the weighted average stock price for the period is used in determining the number of shares assumed to be purchased from the exercise of stock options and warrants.
Valuation Assumptions	Valuation Assumptions The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of employee stock options and rights to purchase shares under the Company's 2009 ESPP. Using the Black-Scholes pricing model requires the Company to develop highly subjective assumptions including the expected term of awards, expected volatility of its stock, expected risk-free interest rate and expected dividend rate over the term of the award. The Company's expected term of awards assumption is based primarily on its historical experience with similar grants. The Company's expected stock price volatility assumption for both stock options and ESPP shares is based on the historical volatility of the Company's stock, using the daily average of the opening and closing prices and measured using historical data appropriate for the expected term. The risk-free interest rate assumption approximates the risk-free interest rate of a Treasury Constant Maturity bond with a maturity approximately equal to the expected term of the stock option or ESPP shares. This fair value is expensed over the requisite service period of the award. The fair value of RSUs and PRSUs is based on the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. Equity compensation awards which vest with service are expensed using the straight-line attribution method over the requisite service period. In addition to the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes pricing model, the amended authoritative guidance requires that the Company recognize expense for awards ultimately expected to vest; therefore the Company is required to develop an estimate of the number of awards expected to be forfeited prior to vesting, or forfeiture rate. The forfeiture rate is estimated based on historical pre-vest cancellation experience and is applied to all share-based awards.