Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2012	Aug. 03, 2012
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	MATTSON TECHNOLOGY INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000928421
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jul. 01, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		58,595,450
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012