  We explore the laser spot position (LSP) dependent photothermal mode cooling
of a micro-cantilever in a Fabry-P\'erot (FP) cavity. Depending on the LSP
along the lever, photothermal coupling to the first two mechanical modes can be
either parallel or anti-parallel. This LSP dependent behavior is analyzed
theoretically by a simple model, which is in quantitatively agreement with our
experimental observation. From simulation, the parallel and anti-parallel
coupling region is identified along the lever. We conclude that a more
efficient mode cooling may be achieved in the parallel coupling region.
