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Investments - Fair Value of Long-Term Available-for-Sale Investments (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments	$ 237,313us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent	$ 157,201us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent
Time Deposits And Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments		48us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = mksi_TimeDepositsAndCertificatesOfDepositMember
Asset Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments	129,242us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember	75,674us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
Corporate Obligations [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments	90,114us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = mksi_CorporateObligationsMember	64,669us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = mksi_CorporateObligationsMember
Municipal Bonds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments	1,880us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_MunicipalBondsMember	1,254us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_MunicipalBondsMember
U.S. Agency Obligations [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair value of long-term available-for-sale investments	$ 16,077us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_USGovernmentAgenciesDebtSecuritiesMember	$ 15,556us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent / us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis = us-gaap_USGovernmentAgenciesDebtSecuritiesMember

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- Definition

Investments in debt and equity securities which are categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading and which are intended to be sold or mature more than one year from the balance sheet date or operating cycle, if longer. Such securities are reported at fair value; unrealized gains (losses) related to Available-for-sale Securities are excluded from earnings and reported in a separate component of shareholders' equity (other comprehensive income), unless the Available-for-sale security is designated as a hedge or is determined to have had an other than temporary decline in fair value below its amortized cost basis. All or a portion of the unrealized holding gain (loss) of an Available-for-sale security that is designated as being hedged in a fair value hedge is recognized in earnings during the period of the hedge, as are other than temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis for investments in equity securities and debt securities that an entity intends to sell or it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell before the recovery of its amortized cost basis. Other than temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis for debt securities categorized as Available-for-sale that an entity does not intend to sell and for which it is not more likely than not that the entity will be required to sell before the recovery of its amortized cost basis are bifurcated into credit losses and losses related to all other factors. Other than temporary declines in fair value below cost basis related to credit losses are recognized in earnings, and losses related to all other factors are recognized in other comprehensive income.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26626-111562



Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Available-for-Sale Securities

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6505594

+ Details

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