Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
Oct. 02, 2011	Nov. 01, 2011
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Mattson Technology Inc
Entity Central Index Key	0000928421
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Oct. 02, 2011
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		58,229,069
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011

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