  Tuning the spin-orbit coupling strength via foreign element doping and/or
modifying bonding strength via strain engineering are the major routes to
convert normal insulators to topological insulators. We here propose an
alternative strategy to realize topological phase transition by tuning the
orbital level. Following this strategy, our first-principles calculations
demonstrate that a topological phase transition in some cubic perovskite-type
compounds CsGeBr$_3$ and CsSnBr$_3$ could be facilitated by carbon
substitutional doping. Such unique topological phase transition predominantly
results from the lower orbital energy of the carbon dopant, which can pull down
the conduction bands and even induce band inversion. Beyond conventional
approaches, our finding of tuning the orbital level may greatly expand the
range of topologically nontrivial materials.
