Amorphous silicon carbide resistive memory cells are shown to exhibit the highest R OFF /R ON ratio recorded for any resistive memory in pulsed switching. The switching characteristics are investigated and fitted to a numerical model. The SET mechanism for these cells is found to be due to ionic motion without joule heating contributions, leading to large V SET . The high thermal conductivity and resistivity of the SiC memory cells result in slow switching but, with high state and thermal stability, show potential for harsh environment use. Radiation properties of SiC memory cells are investigated. No change was seen in switching properties nor in conductive mechanism, up to 2Mrad(Si) using 60 Co ionizing gamma radiation.