Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company recorded an income tax provision of $78.2 million and $74.9 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended March 31, 2016. The provision recorded in each period was primarily driven by the change in a valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets during the three months ended March 31, 2016. Partially offsetting the valuation allowance provision were benefits related to pre-tax losses in the U.S., the reinstatement of the U.S. research and development tax credit retroactive to January 1, 2015, and reductions of reserves for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from the expiration of the statute of limitations. The Company recorded an income tax provision (benefit) of $1.6 million and $(1.6) million, respectively, for the three and six months ended March 31, 2015. The tax benefit of $(1.6) million was primarily driven by $0.6 million of reductions in unrecognized tax benefits resulting from the expiration of the statute of limitations in various foreign jurisdictions and $0.9 million of tax benefits resulting from the reinstatement of the U.S. federal research and development tax credit, retroactive to January 1, 2014. These benefits were partially offset by foreign income taxes and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits. The tax provision of $1.6 million for the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 was driven by U.S. pre-tax income along with foreign income taxes and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits. ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, requires that all available evidence, both positive and negative, be considered in determining, based on the weight of that evidence, whether a valuation allowance is needed. The weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence should be commensurate with the extent to which it can be objectively verified. The more negative evidence that exists, (a) the more positive evidence is necessary and (b) the more difficult it is to support a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed for some portion or all of the deferred tax asset. A cumulative loss in recent years is considered a significant piece of negative evidence that is difficult to overcome in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. The Company evaluates the realizability of its deferred tax assets by tax-paying component and assesses the need for a valuation allowance on an annual and quarterly basis. The Company evaluates the profitability of each tax-paying component on a historic cumulative basis and on a forward looking basis in the course of performing this analysis. The Company has evaluated all positive and negative evidence in concluding it is appropriate to establish a full valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets at this time. The Company evaluated negative evidence to assess if it is more likely than not that the Company could make use of the U.S. deferred tax assets before they expire. In reviewing performance over the recent years, the Company currently shows cumulative income. This history considers earnings in recent years from the discontinued operations of Granville-Phillips, which was divested during the fiscal year 2014 and freed up capital for investments in strategic growth businesses. In evaluating the historical results of the continuing businesses, the Company has not yet demonstrated profitability with losses in recent periods. The Company reported U.S. pre-tax losses during fiscal year 2015 and the first two quarters of fiscal year 2016. The loss in the current quarter included a significant charge for restructuring actions which are ultimately expected to improve future profitability. However, because of the restructuring charges and loss in the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, the Company now projects a net loss for the full fiscal year 2016. These factors present significant negative evidence in the evaluation. The Company also considered positive evidence such as expected improvements that are the results of investments in growth businesses. The Company prepares comprehensive forecasts based on the cyclical trends of the semiconductor industry, expected capital spending in the industry and demand for new product offerings. The Company's forecast of future improved profits includes a portion related to foreign operations, specifically in the Contamination Control Solutions business, which are excluded from the evaluation of U.S. deferred tax assets. The forecast of future improved profits also includes a portion related to U.S. operations. The Brooks Life Science Systems segment has driven cumulative losses in the U.S. in the past years, but is expected to provide growth in revenue and improved profitability resulting in increased profits in the U.S. After extensive review, despite significant projected improvements, the forecasted income is not considered to be objectively verifiable evidence because the revenue growth expected for the future periods is based on projections and not significantly supported by specific bookings and backlog of orders for product in place as of the end of the quarter. The evidence is therefore considered more subjective than objective under the accounting rules. Accordingly, this positive evidence is given less weight than the negative evidence discussed above. A cumulative loss is difficult negative evidence to overcome on a more likely than not basis. Future income projections can only overcome this negative evidence if the projections are considered objectively verifiable. Since the income projections are not considered objectively verifiable, the Company determined that realization of the U.S. net deferred tax assets should not be viewed as more likely than not until the projected profits are supported with objectively verifiable evidence of the improvements. As a result of this change in assessment, the Company recorded a tax provision of $79.3 million to establish the valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets during the three months ended March 31, 2016. The Company will continue to maintain a full valuation allowance on our U.S. deferred tax assets until there is sufficient positive evidence to support the reversal of all or some portion of these allowances. The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax and various state, local and international income taxes in various jurisdictions. The amount of income taxes paid is subject to the Company's interpretation of applicable tax laws in the jurisdictions in which it files tax returns. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by taxing authorities throughout the world. The Company has income tax audits in progress in various jurisdictions in which it operates. The years subject to examination vary for the U.S. and international jurisdictions, with the earliest tax year being 2009. It is reasonably possible that the related unrecognized tax benefits could change from those recorded in the Company's unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets based on the outcome of these examinations or the expiration of statutes of limitations for specific jurisdictions. The Company currently anticipates that it is reasonably possible that the unrecognized tax benefits will be reduced by approximately $1.2 million within the next twelve months as a result of the lapse of statutes of limitations in multiple jurisdictions.

Income Taxes

The Company recorded an income tax provision of $78.2 million and $74.9 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended March 31, 2016. The provision recorded in each period was primarily driven by the change in a valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets during the three months ended March 31, 2016. Partially offsetting the valuation allowance provision were benefits related to pre-tax losses in the U.S., the reinstatement of the U.S. research and development tax credit retroactive to January 1, 2015, and reductions of reserves for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from the expiration of the statute of limitations.

The Company recorded an income tax provision (benefit) of $1.6 million and $(1.6) million, respectively, for the three and six months ended March 31, 2015. The tax benefit of $(1.6) million was primarily driven by $0.6 million of reductions in unrecognized tax benefits resulting from the expiration of the statute of limitations in various foreign jurisdictions and $0.9 million of tax benefits resulting from the reinstatement of the U.S. federal research and development tax credit, retroactive to January 1, 2014. These benefits were partially offset by foreign income taxes and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits. The tax provision of $1.6 million for the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 was driven by U.S. pre-tax income along with foreign income taxes and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits.

ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, requires that all available evidence, both positive and negative, be considered in determining, based on the weight of that evidence, whether a valuation allowance is needed. The weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence should be commensurate with the extent to which it can be objectively verified. The more negative evidence that exists, (a) the more positive evidence is necessary and (b) the more difficult it is to support a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed for some portion or all of the deferred tax asset. A cumulative loss in recent years is considered a significant piece of negative evidence that is difficult to overcome in assessing the need for a valuation allowance.

The Company evaluates the realizability of its deferred tax assets by tax-paying component and assesses the need for a valuation allowance on an annual and quarterly basis. The Company evaluates the profitability of each tax-paying component on a historic cumulative basis and on a forward looking basis in the course of performing this analysis. The Company has evaluated all positive and negative evidence in concluding it is appropriate to establish a full valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets at this time.

The Company evaluated negative evidence to assess if it is more likely than not that the Company could make use of the U.S. deferred tax assets before they expire. In reviewing performance over the recent years, the Company currently shows cumulative income. This history considers earnings in recent years from the discontinued operations of Granville-Phillips, which was divested during the fiscal year 2014 and freed up capital for investments in strategic growth businesses. In evaluating the historical results of the continuing businesses, the Company has not yet demonstrated profitability with losses in recent periods. The Company reported U.S. pre-tax losses during fiscal year 2015 and the first two quarters of fiscal year 2016. The loss in the current quarter included a significant charge for restructuring actions which are ultimately expected to improve future profitability. However, because of the restructuring charges and loss in the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, the Company now projects a net loss for the full fiscal year 2016. These factors present significant negative evidence in the evaluation.

The Company also considered positive evidence such as expected improvements that are the results of investments in growth businesses. The Company prepares comprehensive forecasts based on the cyclical trends of the semiconductor industry, expected capital spending in the industry and demand for new product offerings. The Company's forecast of future improved profits includes a portion related to foreign operations, specifically in the Contamination Control Solutions business, which are excluded from the evaluation of U.S. deferred tax assets. The forecast of future improved profits also includes a portion related to U.S. operations. The Brooks Life Science Systems segment has driven cumulative losses in the U.S. in the past years, but is expected to provide growth in revenue and improved profitability resulting in increased profits in the U.S. After extensive review, despite significant projected improvements, the forecasted income is not considered to be objectively verifiable evidence because the revenue growth expected for the future periods is based on projections and not significantly supported by specific bookings and backlog of orders for product in place as of the end of the quarter. The evidence is therefore considered more subjective than objective under the accounting rules. Accordingly, this positive evidence is given less weight than the negative evidence discussed above.

A cumulative loss is difficult negative evidence to overcome on a more likely than not basis. Future income projections can only overcome this negative evidence if the projections are considered objectively verifiable. Since the income projections are not considered objectively verifiable, the Company determined that realization of the U.S. net deferred tax assets should not be viewed as more likely than not until the projected profits are supported with objectively verifiable evidence of the improvements. As a result of this change in assessment, the Company recorded a tax provision of $79.3 million to establish the valuation allowance against U.S. net deferred tax assets during the three months ended March 31, 2016. The Company will continue to maintain a full valuation allowance on our U.S. deferred tax assets until there is sufficient positive evidence to support the reversal of all or some portion of these allowances.

The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax and various state, local and international income taxes in various jurisdictions. The amount of income taxes paid is subject to the Company's interpretation of applicable tax laws in the jurisdictions in which it files tax returns. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by taxing authorities throughout the world. The Company has income tax audits in progress in various jurisdictions in which it operates. The years subject to examination vary for the U.S. and international jurisdictions, with the earliest tax year being 2009. It is reasonably possible that the related unrecognized tax benefits could change from those recorded in the Company's unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets based on the outcome of these examinations or the expiration of statutes of limitations for specific jurisdictions. The Company currently anticipates that it is reasonably possible that the unrecognized tax benefits will be reduced by approximately $1.2 million within the next twelve months as a result of the lapse of statutes of limitations in multiple jurisdictions.