Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 01, 2012	May 01, 2012
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Mattson Technology Inc
Entity Central Index Key	0000928421
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Apr. 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		62,656,088
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012