Creeping Rosemary would be good there. Stays low, loves sun, dry weather and even blooms from time to time.

Succulents. There are a bunch of sedum varieties that are good dry hot ground covers.

Is "creeping rosemary" the same as "prostrate rosemary"? The latter will mound to 18" or so.

You might take a look at one of the groundcover junipers, like Blue Rug or Bar Harbor. They will require a little water, though. If you can go to 18", the groundcover type nandina will give you some nice rust and gold in full sun.

Delosperma Kalaidis "Mesa Verde". Best ice plant I ever saw. Grows like an evergreen mat, has pinkish/apricotish flowers almost all season, full sun, and is in a very dry area in my garden where the sprinkler system doesn't manage to get to. Of course you'd want to water it until it establishes, but after that you can forget it.