Spin blockade in ground-state resonance of a quantum dot

We present measurements on spin blockade in a laterally integrated quantum dot. The dot is tuned into the regime of strong Coulomb blockade, confining ∼ 50 electrons. At certain electronic states we find an additional mechanism suppressing electron transport. This we identify as spin blockade at zero bias, possibly accompanied by a change in orbital momentum in subsequent dot ground states. We support this by probing the bias, magnetic field and temperature dependence of the transport spectrum. Weak violation of the blockade is modelled by detailed calculations of non-linear transport taking into account forbidden transitions.