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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Employee Stock Purchase Plan and Common Stock Repurchase Program) (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Purchase price of the entity's common stock expressed as percentage of fair market value at the commencement or end of the offering period 85.00%atml_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardPurchasePriceOfCommonStockExpressedAsPercentageOfFairMarketValueAtCommencementOrEndOfOfferingPeriod    
Share Based Compensation, Arrangement by Share Based Payment Award, Offering Period 6 months    
Authorized amount under stock repurchase program $ 1,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount    
Remaining authorized amount available for stock repurchase 209,100,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramRemainingAuthorizedRepurchaseAmount    
Repurchase of common stock (in shares) 16,300,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 12,200,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 22,700,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares
Average price of shares repurchased (in dollars per share) $ 8.01us-gaap_TreasuryStockAcquiredAverageCostPerShare $ 7.20us-gaap_TreasuryStockAcquiredAverageCostPerShare $ 7.92us-gaap_TreasuryStockAcquiredAverageCostPerShare
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value 130,383,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodValue 87,781,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodValue 179,579,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodValue
Employee Stock [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Weighted-average fair value of the rights to purchase shares (in dollars per share) $ 1.66us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
$ 1.49us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
$ 1.75us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
Cash proceeds from the issuance of shares 11,200,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromStockPlans
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
10,600,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromStockPlans
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
11,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromStockPlans
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
Employee Stock Purchase Plan 2010 [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Percentage of employee's eligible compensation as limitation on purchases 10.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMaximumEmployeeSubscriptionRate
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
   
Defined Contribution Plan, Maximum Annual Contributions Per Employee, Amount $ 25,000us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanMaximumAnnualContributionsPerEmployeeAmount
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
   
Shares purchased 1,700,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
1,900,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
1,800,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
Average purchase price per share $ 6.59atml_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAveragePurchasePricePerShare
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
$ 5.52atml_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAveragePurchasePricePerShare
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
$ 6.19atml_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAveragePurchasePricePerShare
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized 25,000,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAuthorized
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member
   
Number of shares available for issuances 18,900,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= atml_EmployeeStockPurchasePlan2010Member